74TH SEASON 

OF CONCERTS

JANUARY 17, 2016 • NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
2 • National Gallery of Art

West Building, West Garden Court

Arr. John W. Work III

3:30

Fisk Jubilee Singers®

Paul T. Kwami, musical director

Arr. John W. Work III

'Way Over in Egypt Land

Arr. John W. Work III

Run Mourner, Run

Kierra Pryor, soprano 

Brianna Barbour, soprano

Joi-Anissa Taylor, soprano

Arr. Moses Hogan

Old Time Religion

Domine B. Ezechukwu, alto

Arr. William L. Dawson 

There Is a Balm in Gilead

Joi-Anissa Taylor

Arr. Jester Hairston

Poor Man Laz'rus

Arr. Paul T. Kwami 

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Kierra Pryor, soprano

Arr. Undine S. Moore

Daniel! Daniel! Servant of the Lord

Lyante Savala, tenor

Kylen C. Parker, bass

Arr. Moses Hogan

Mr. Banjo

Dwayne P. Mitchell, tenor

Let the Church Roll On

Torin Brown, tenor

Arr. John W. Work III

Jubilee! Jubilee!

Lyante Savala, tenor

Allen Christian, bass

Arr. Noah F. Ryder

My Lord Is So high

Kierra Pryor, soprano 

Torin Brown, tenor

Intermission

A Portrait Comes to Life

Arr. R. Nathaniel Dett

There's a Meeting Here Tonight

Dwayne P. Mitchell, tenor

Arr. John W. Work III

Do Lord Remember Me

Arr. John W. Work III

Rise, Shine for Thy Light Is A-Comin'

There's a Great Camp Meeting

Brianna Barbour, soprano

74th Season * 3
The Musicians

The Fisk Jubilee Singers are vocal artists and students at Fisk University in Nashville, 

Tennessee, who sing and travel worldwide. The original Jubilee Singers introduced "slave

songs" to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American

musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals. The group broke racial barriers in the

United States and abroad in the late nineteenth century and entertained kings and queens 

in Europe. At the same time, they raised money in support of their beloved school.

In 1999, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were featured in Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory,

an award-winning PBS documentary series, produced by WGBH/Boston. In July 2007, the

Fisk Jubilee Singers went on a sacred journey to Ghana at the invitation of the US State

Department. It was a history-making event, as the ensemble traveled to Ghana for the first

time and joined in the celebration of that nation's Golden Jubilee, the fiftieth anniversary of

independence. In 2008, at a ceremony in the White House, President George W. Bush and

First Lady Laura Bush presented the Fisk Jubilee Singers with the National Medal of Arts,

the nation's highest honor for artists and patrons of the arts. The Fisk Jubilee Singers

continue the tradition of singing the Negro spiritual around the world. This allows the

ensemble to share this rich culture globally, while also preserving this unique music.

Soprano

Joi-Anissa Taylor '17

Brianna Barbour '16

Melody Beck '18

Kierra Pryor '17

Alto

Crystal Brooks '17

Victoria Sanders '18

Lauren McClinton '16

Domine B. Ezechukwu '16

Tenor

Lyante Savala '16

Torin Brown '18

Dwayne P. Mitchell '18

Evan Acklin '16

Bass

Kylen C. Parker '18

Anthony Kennedy Jr. '19

Deonte Williams '19

Allen Christian '19

4 • National Gallery of Art

Program Notes

Fisk University opened in Nashville in 1866 as the first American university to offer a liberal 

arts education to "young men and women irrespective of color." Five years later the school 

was in dire financial straits. George L. White, Fisk treasurer and music professor at the time,

created a nine-member choral ensemble of students and took it on tour to earn money for

the school. The group left campus on October 6,1871. Jubilee Day is celebrated annually on

October 6, to commemorate this historic day.

The first concerts were in small towns. Surprise, curiosity, and some hostility were

the early audience responses to these young black singers who did not perform in the

traditional "minstrel fashion." One early concert in Cincinnati brought in $50, which was 

promptly donated to victims of the notorious 1871 Chicago fire. When the students reached

Columbus, the next city on the tour, they were physically and emotionally drained. Mr.

White, in a gesture of hope and encouragement, named them "The Jubilee Singers," a

Biblical reference to the year of Jubilee in the Book of Leviticus, Chapter 25. Continued

perseverance and beautiful voices began to change attitudes among the predominantly

white audiences. Eventually, skepticism was replaced by standing ovations and critical

praise in reviews. Gradually the group earned enough to cover expenses and also contribute

to Fisk.

In 1872, they sang at the World Peace Festival in Boston, and at the end of the year 

President Ulysses S. Grant invited them to perform at the White House. In 1873, the group

grew to eleven members and toured Europe for the first time. Funds raised that year were 

used to construct the school's first permanent building, Jubilee Hall. Today Jubilee Hall,

designated a National Historic Landmark by the US Department of the Interior in 1975, is

one of the oldest structures on campus. The beautiful Victorian Gothic building houses a

floor-to-ceiling portrait of the original Jubilee Singers, commissioned by Queen Victoria

during the group's 1873 tour and given as a gift from England to Fisk.

The ensemble continues to travel around the world, singing the Negro spiritual and

representing Fisk University. The two-time Grammy-nominated Fisk Jubilee Singers have

won a Dove Award and have been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, as well as

the Music City Walk of Fame.

74th Season * 5
Upcoming events of the SeventyFourth Season of The William

Nelson Cromwell and F. Lammot

Belin Concerts

Aspen String Trio

J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations

January 24, Sunday, 3:30

West Building, West Garden Court

National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble

Songs inspired by mythology. Presented

in honor of Power and Pathos: Bronze

Sculptures of the Hellenistic World

January 31, Sunday, 3:30

West Building, West Garden Court

Cantus

The Four Loves

February 7, Sunday, 3:30

West Building, West Garden Court

Cann Duo

Music from the African diaspora, including

works by Leonard Bernstein, Margaret

Bonds, Stephen Foster, Astor Piazzolla, and

George Walker. Presented in honor of 

African American History Month

February 14, Sunday, 3:30

West Building, West Garden Court

General Information

Admission to the National Gallery of Art

and all of its programs is free of charge,

except as noted.

The use of cameras or recording equipment

during the performance is not allowed.

Please be sure that all portable electronic

devices are turned off.

Concerts are made possible in part

through the generosity of donors to the

National Gallery of Art through The Circle.

Reserved seating is available in recognition

of their support. Please contact the

development office at (202) 842-6450 or

circle@nga.gov for more information.

www.nga.gov

www.instagram.com/ngadc

www.twitter.com/ngadc

www.facebook.com/nationalgalleryofart

The department of music produced these

program notes. Copyright © 2016 Board of

Trustees, National Gallery ofArt, Washington

Cover Anonymous, Concert of Birds (detail),

1660/1670, National Gallery of Art, Washington,

Gift of John Dimick

Back cover West Building, East Garden 

Court, Photo by Rob Shelley, National Gallery

of Art, Washington