Conductor, Educator, Researcher, Clinician, and Speaker
Dr. Mary Young
A native of Rochester, NY, Mary conducts high school, community, church, collegiate, and children's choirs. She holds degrees in Piano Performance, and Choral Conducting, and is passionate about celebrating and incorporating Native American music in her work. She founded the First Nations Choral Festival in 2024, is co-editor of Hinshaw's Native American Choral Series, and enjoys working closely with Native composers and languages.
New York Choral Consortium Choral Resource
Dr. Young created two outstanding repertoire resources for NYCC: 1) She has expanded and updated Dr. Garrett's "Beyond Elijah Rock" composer and repertoire list; and 2) She has started building a repertoire list (complete with links to composer bios and websites, perusal scores, and more!) of choral music by Native American composers.
Blood Quantum and the White Gatekeeping of Native American Social Identity
The government's definition of "Native American" has changed over the years. The stipulations of "blood quantum" or "federal recognition" have been shaped by whites in effort to ensure their control and position as judges of Native identity.
Cultural Appropriation and How to Recognize It
How do we know if a piece of cultural music is "authentic"? Musical quality, cultural authenticity, and artist reputation are key considerations.