Staying Curious, Empathetic, and Optimistic with Jason Max Ferdinand

JASON MAX FERDINAND, Professor – Conductor – Composer – Speaker, is the founding artistic director of The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers: an ensemble of exceptional talents, and is director of choral activities, chair of the music department, and full professor at Oakwood University where he conducts the Aeolians of Oakwood University. He is a published author and composer with GIA publications, featuring the book, Teaching with Heart: Tools for Addressing Societal Challenges Through Music, and The Jason Max Ferdinand Choral Series with Walton Music. He maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and lecturer at schools, universities, churches, and choral festivals and conferences, domestic and international.

As conductor of the Aeolians of Oakwood University, as evidenced by noteworthy awards, he has distinguished himself on the national and international choral stages. In 2017, he earned the Outstanding Director and Choir of the World awards at the Llangollen International Musical Festival, in Wales. In 2018, his choir won three gold medals at the 10th World Choir Games held in South Africa and won the competition’s overall championship in both the Spirituals and University Choir categories. In 2018, he was named “Teacher of the Year” by Oakwood University. The Aeolians made their first appearance at the national conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) in 2019 and the term “they broke ACDA” was used to describe their outstanding presentation. Ferdinand holds non-terminal degrees from Oakwood University, Morgan State University, and a doctorate in choral conducting from the University of Maryland. He serves on the board of the National Collegiate Choral Organization is a former board member of the Alabama Choral Directors Association.