Musician Creative Educator
Photo by Nile Scott Studios
Kennedy McAlister is a conductor, Soprano, and most recently a Masters of Music graduate from New England Conservatory in Choral Conducting with a concentration in Music-in-Education and academic honors. For two years, Kennedy served as one of the graduate conductors for the NEC choirs under the tutelage of Mrs. Erica J. Washburn and held various arts administration and artistic directing positions throughout the greater Boston area. Originally from Oklahoma, she received her Bachelor degree in both Vocal Performance and English from Oklahoma Christian University, where she graduated as an Honors Fellow.
Previous experience includes an interim faculty position at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School where she conducted the Prep Chorus, Children’s Chorus, and Chamber Chorus; assistant conductor for the Philharmonic Society of Arlington's Chorale; long-term substitute music teacher/conductor at Nashoba-Brooks Middle School; and teaching artist at Concord Youth Theater in Concord, MA. Her other arts-related ventures are many and varied: Marketing Director for NOVA, a student-run non-profit organization based out of NEC; Directing musicals for various youth programs; Performing at Jamaica Plain's Footlight Club; Making and selling hand-crafted goods; Teaching various audition and singer/actor workshops; and, running her own private voice/piano studio.
Artistic excellence is a passion of Kennedy's, but her greater passion is the community created by and through the arts. She is committed to exploring and presenting work from new, innovative, or under-performed artists, as she believes that music and the arts open up pathways to new perspectives and help push humanity toward peace and unity. Further, she uses her opportunities in music and the arts to seek courage, acceptance, and empathy alongside her students and peers, helping musicians young and old grow into well-rounded and life-giving leaders of tomorrow. She strives to foster communal and personal development and encourage others in all their musical endeavors.