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Dan Fister

Dan Fister's RARB Bio

Dr. Daniel Fister earned his PhD in musicology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2022 as well as a Bachelors degree in music from Chapman University in 2014. In his doctoral dissertation, he explored the links between community formation and race, especially whiteness, in contemporary scholastic a cappella using interviews with performers, judges, and producers. Since he graduated, he has become an adjunct college professor in the Bay Area. He previously was an editorial assistant for the journal American Music from 2019 to 2022.

Before his life as an academic, Daniel directed, sang, and arranged for Wilsonville High School's Soul'd Out, leading them to the 2010 ICHSA Finals. He went on to participate just as actively in Chapman University's SoundCheck, with whom he competed regularly in ICCA and directed the production of their debut album, Everything (2012). Daniel remains involved in a cappella as a judge for Varsity Vocals and other a cappella events, a masterclass teacher including at Boston Sings (BOSS), a concert attendee, and a music streaming consumer. He loves when a cappella groups emote to the back to the auditorium and surprise him with dynamics and tone color. Since moving to the Bay Area, he sings with and is the Assistant Director of the Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus, for whom he directs the ensemble's small group, Desperate Measures.

When not grading papers, he practices yoga, cooks as much as he can, and wishes he hiked more.


Reviews by Dan Fister

40 total reviews (19 albums and 21 singles)

Albums

Short Cuts

  • Final Measure University of Houston
    Snakeskin
    Nov. 19, 2023
  • Upper Structure Berklee College of Music
    Favorite Time of Year
    June 17, 2023
  • The Water Boys University of Waterloo
    Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea
    Dec. 15, 2022
  • Boston College Dynamics Boston College
    Golden
    Oct. 20, 2022
  • Sulthan Ahmed
    Momento
    Aug. 27, 2022
  • Redefined University of Wisconsin - Madison
    Soak Up The Sun
    June 22, 2022
  • Fundamentally Sound and Pitches & Notes University of Wisconsin - Madison
    Creature
    May 6, 2022
  • Ball in the House
    Ordinary Day
    March 2, 2022
  • Fundamentally Sound University of Wisconsin - Madison
    Colour Vision / Think About Things
    Dec. 27, 2021
  • The Dynamics University of Massachusetts, Amherst
    Freedom
    Dec. 22, 2021
  • Towson Untitled Towson University
    Doomed
    July 14, 2021
  • Jackson Jills Tufts University
    Bad Guy
    Jan. 29, 2021
  • Moira Smiley
    The Call
    Dec. 24, 2020
  • Encore Ensworth School
    My Mind
    Oct. 16, 2020
  • Fundamentally Sound University of Wisconsin - Madison
    Silhouette
    Aug. 21, 2020
  • July 23, 2020
  • The AllNighters Johns Hopkins University
    Silvertongue
    July 20, 2020
  • The Hullabahoos University of Virginia
    Youngblood
    June 15, 2020
  • Vocal Brand
    No Surprises
    June 5, 2020
  • N'Namdi Bryant (The A Cappellian)
    We Are One
    May 8, 2020
  • The Tarpeggios University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    G Train
    April 10, 2020

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