Biography
Elisabeth Cherland is a conductor, singer, song leader, violinist, music educator, and Lutheran church musician originally from Saskatchewan, Canada. She comes to the UW Choral Conducting DMA program from Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center near Chelan, WA where she was the Village Musician for two years. Prior to Holden, Elisabeth taught choir and band at the High School and Middle School level in Custer and Rapid City, South Dakota for 7 years, and was an Associate Director of the Rapid City Children’s Chorus. She received her MMEd from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, and her BA in Music and English from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. She served as soprano section leader for both the Rockefeller Chapel Choir in Chicago under the direction of Randi Ellefson and James Kallembach, and the Concordia Choir where she studied with René Clausen. Elisabeth’s research interests include feminist scholarship, hymnody, song leading, and narrative inquiry. Elisabeth spends much of her time away from UW with her partner, Kent, and their two sons, Elijah and Leif. She loves to knit, run around Green Lake, and enjoy the sun when it’s available.