Two new faces are leading the music program at Newman this fall — Mary Ellen Swords and David Pérez — and they’re bringing a new rhythm to campus.
Meet the new choir director: Mary Ellen Swords
With more than 25 years of teaching experience and a decade performing with the Wichita Grand Opera, Swords now leads Newman’s choir ensembles: chorale and troubadours.
“Music has always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” she said.
Originally from a small town in South Dakota, Swords’ love for music began with her grandmother, a church organist. She practiced alongside her, and the love for singing followed.
While in middle school, her family moved to Garden City, Kansas, “a metropolis” in comparison to where she lived before, and the thought of music as her career first entered her mind.
“That’s where I got more involved in some select choirs and started thinking that this might be something more than just something I like to do,” she said.
Swords earned her Bachelor of Arts in music education from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, and then started teaching at the elementary school level in Leewood, Kansas. Later, she pursued her master’s degree at Wichita State University, this time with a focus on vocal performance. Meanwhile, one of her professors from Bethany College encouraged her to audition for the newly founded Wichita Grand Opera.
“I never really had considered opera before,” she said. “That’s what kind of fanned the flames in terms of wanting to do some performing in addition to teaching.”
She got in and spent the next decade performing with them while also teaching at local colleges. Eventually, she went back to elementary-level teaching, only to make the unexpected return to the collegiate level. That was something she planned to do once her children were older, but forgot about until a friend sent her the opening at Newman.
“I have told everybody that God’s fingerprints are just all over my journey here,” she said. “I had forgotten to actually actively seek this next step in my career. He was using my friends and colleagues to remind me.”
At Newman, she leads the chorale, a non-auditioned choir open to all students, and the audition-selected troubadours ensemble. Senior Gabriel Trevino said he’d grown accustomed to Newman’s prior choir director, Deanne Zogleman, but that Swords has communicated with those returning to choir this year to make the change easier for everyone.
“She’s very transparent and upfront about what she is wanting from us returners,” Trevino said. “I believe she will do amazing things.”
In addition to directing the two choir ensembles, Swords holds private voice lessons for students and is working alongside the theater department in producing the music for the upcoming musical, “Carousel.”
“I feel very blessed to be here and am loving every second,” she said.
Meet Newman’s new accompanist: David Pérez
Accompanying Swords in Newman’s music program is Pérez, a Cuban-born pianist and organist.
In Cuba, Pérez began playing piano around the age of 10, before entering a conservatory music program at age 15.
“Eventually, I switched to the organ, and I just fell in love with it and decided to come to the states to do my master’s here,” he said.
Pérez made the switch from piano to organ to pursue his master’s at Wichita State University, while at the same time making the shift from life in Cuba to the Midwest U.S. — a change, he said, that proved difficult for him.
“I was getting acquainted with the language, the culture, the people. It was a lot of change for me,” he said.
Still, Pérez’s love for learning and music pushed him to earn his doctorate at The University of Kansas in the spring 2025. His doctoral work focused on Latin American organ music — an area he hopes to integrate into his work at Newman, especially given the university’s status as a Hispanic-serving institution.
“When I got my doctorate, I really saw the opportunity to teach, to do research and to collaborate with other musicians,” he said. “Newman became a great fit, not only because I could work with the choirs and theater program, but also because of how my background and research can serve students here.”
In addition to accompanying choir rehearsals and performances, Pérez holds private piano and organ lessons with students and works alongside Swords to produce music for upcoming musicals. Pérez also accompanies select Newman Masses, like the Mass of the Holy Spirit and matriculation ceremony.
First-year student Carlie Riedlinger, who’s in choral and troubadours, said both Pérez and Swords have made rehearsals feel welcoming and supportive, whether she’s chatting with Swords after class or talking to Pérez about the music.
“Both people are incredibly talented and knowledgeable musicians who collaborate really well together,” she said. “The goal is for choir to be a family, and they are both trying to make sure that is the case.”
Upcoming performance for Newman music
Explore Newman’s music program
The music program teaches you the different styles of music and provides the opportunity to join or audition for large ensembles.
