It may be dark and cold outside, but inside the musicians will be celebrating the light of the spirit and the warmth of love at New England Conservatory's 26th Annual Thomas A. Dorsey Gospel Jubilee, February 19-20, 2005. Over two days and three concerts, voices will ring out in NEC's Jordan Hall and Roxbury's Eliot Church, praising God in musical selections drawn from the deepest rural traditions to the youngest urban expressions.
Vocal and instrumental ensembles will be drawn from NEC and Boston area churches, highlighted by NEC's 200-voice Millennium Gospel Choir, which performs Sunday afternoon, February 20, at 3 p.m. in NEC's Jordan Hall. A jazz orchestra composed of NEC instrumentalists will also collaborate with chorus in selections from Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts under the direction of Ken Schaphorst, NEC Jazz Studies and Improvisation chair, Sunday evening at 7:30 in Roxbury's Eliot Church.
Founded in the year 2000, the NEC Millennium Gospel Choir was created to give praise and prayerful welcome to the coming of a new age. The 200 members, drawn from church choirs throughout the greater Boston area, were individually selected because of their superior dedication, vocal technique, range, and commitment to gospel music.
During its debut year, the choir shared the Jordan Hall stage with Richard Smallwood as part of NEC's 21st Annual Thomas A. Dorsey Gospel Jubilee. The Boston Globe was captivated: “Always, the power of the choir was palpable, and its ability to sound reverent, even tender, was riveting." That same weekend, an unprecedented performance took place at Boston's Cathedral of the Holy Cross, with support from the Archdiocese of Boston, the Boston Cultural Council, and Gillette.
The Millennium Choir is ministered to and directed by an ensemble of preeminent ministers of music/choir directors at churches across the city. Each musical director is a recipient of NEC's prestigious Gospel Music Award. The directors are: Min. Freda Battle, James A. Early, Herb Jones, Renese King, Dennis Montgomery III, Donnell Patterson, George W. Russell, Jr., Dennis Slaughter, and Hobert S. Yates. Choir coordinators are Patricia Dance and Donnell Patterson.
Sponsored by New England Conservatory, the Thomas A. Dorsey Gospel
Jubilee is a project of NEC's Community Collaborations Thomas A. Dorsey
Gospel Jubilee Planning Committee and GNE Productions: Freda Battle, Patricia Dance (GNE), James A. Early, Herb Jones, Renese King, Dennis Montgomery III, Donnell L. Patterson (GNE), Dennis L. Slaughter, and Hobert S. Yates. Calvin Hicks is NEC's Director of Community Collaborations.
The schedule of performances follows:
New England Conservatory Gospel Jubilee
February 19-20, 2005
Saturday, February 19, 7pm, NEC's Jordan Hall
Freda Battle and the Temple Worshippers
NEC Community Gospel Choir
Voices of Unity
George W. Russell Jr.
Children of the Light Dance Ministry, St. Paul AME Church
Just 4 Praize
Sunday, February 20, 3pm, NEC's Jordan Hall
New England Conservatory's 200-voice Millennium Gospel Choir
NEC String Ensemble
Renese King, soloist
Musical directors: Patricia Dance, James A. Early, Evelyn Lee Jones, Renese King, Dennis Montgomery III, Donnell L. Patterson, George W. Russell Jr., Dennis L. Slaughter, Hobert S. Yates
Frederick Hayes Dance Company, adult and children's companies
Phillips Academy Gospel Choir, Hobert S. Yates, director
Northeastern University Gospel Choir, Jonathan Singleton, director
George W. Russell Jr. Trio with spoken word artist Robyn Rease
New England Gospel Ensemble directed by pianist James A. Early
Sunday, February 20, 7:30pm, Eliot Church of Roxbury, 56 Dale Street (near Washington Park)
Duke Ellington: Selections from Sacred Concerts
Chorus and NEC orchestra
Ken Schaphorst, director
Tickets for each event are $10 and may be purchased by calling the Jordan Hall Box Office at (617) 585-1260. NEC's Jordan Hall is handicapped accessible. For more information on NEC Community Collaborations programming, including gospel activities, please visit NEC on the Web at www.newenglandconservatory.edu/partnerships/community_collaborations.html or call NEC Community Collaborations at (617) 585-1136 or GNE Productions at (781) 308-7962.
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY
Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 750 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world. Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide. Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.
The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions. On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, contemporary improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Collaboration Programs, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors. Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes-thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music and jazz.
NEC presents more than 600 free concerts each year In Jordan Hall, its world- renowned, 100-year old, beautifully restored concert hall. These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz and opera scenes. Every year, NEC's opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston.
NEC is co-founder and educational partner of “From the Top," a weekly radio program that celebrates outstanding young classical musicians from the entire country. With its broadcast home in Jordan Hall, the show is now carried by more than two hundred stations throughout the United States.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
