Ep. 153 - Developing the Creative Potential of the Choral Director - Sherry Blevins

“If you give attention to the right behaviors, they will multiply. If they sing well and supported and you encourage that, that is going to multiply. If you give attention to the bad behaviors – and that doesn't just mean behavior things like talking out of turn – even though it's being criticized, because it gets attention it will multiply . This is true in life. Whatever you think is positive and you want to multiply, give it attention, give it love, nurture it, and it will multiply."

Sherry Blevins is a sought-after artist, award-winning composer, lyricist, as well as an award-winning music educator and conductor. She has over 40 published choral works with 7 different publishing houses including her own series with Hinshaw Music and has been honored to compose for and work with a variety of ensembles around the world including Vancouver, Canada, Lucca, Italy, Bejing, China, Western Alaska, and across the continental United States. She premiered her work “Awaken” at Carnegie Hall with National Concerts in 2024 and conducted her own choral suite, “Tipping Point” at Carnegie Hall in 2025. She was recently honored to be included in GIA's 2025 book, Choral Repertoire by Women Composers. She is also Founder and Artistic Director of the International Choral Composers Institute which hosted 40 composers and lyricists in its inaugural year.

According to Hinshaw Music, “Sherry Blevins, a luminary in the world of choral composition and education, orchestrates harmonies that resonate with the soul. Her musical expertise is surpassed only by her dedication to nurturing the next generation of voices, making her a revered figure in both composition and education.”

Ms. Blevins has a bachelor’s degree in music education with a principal in voice from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree in choral conducting from Appalachian State University. Her hope is that whether through composing or teaching, that the music she shares will bring hope, life, and light to others.

You can find Sherry Blevins’ work wherever music is sold and you may contact her at sherryblevinsmusic.com.

To get in touch with Sherry, you can email her at sherryblevinsmusic@gmail.com, find her on Facebook (@sherry.blevins.18), or visit her website.

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson