Stuart Ivey is a doctoral conducting student. He shared with us how his experience with Sacred Harp has fueled his passion for music:
“My family has been singing Sacred Harp shaped note music for seven generations. My parents grew up in rural northeast Alabama, an area where that style of singing has thrived for over 100 years. I have spent many weekends attending all-day singings and some of my earliest memories include traveling sometimes hundreds of miles to sing. I can say without a doubt that this stimulated my passion for music, and while my career has led me down a path with less of a focus on vocal music, those experiences laid a foundation for my musical skills and continue to foster my musical creativity. I feel extremely lucky to have such a diverse musical background, thanks in part to a unique family tradition that I hope to be able to pass on to my daughter.”
