Westminster’s concert highlights history with harmonies

By Mary-Simone Collazo

A goose-bump-inducing presentation reverberated around Gill Memorial Chapel, with all voices being lifted up in power during Westminster Choir College’s fourth annual Celebration of Black Music, performed by the Westminster Jubilee Singers on March 4.

Each singer was dressed in black formal attire, their neck and shoulders adorned with a kente stole, a handwoven scarf adorned with the bright colors of African fabrics — passed down to every new yearly cohort of Jubilee singers, first worn by the original members 30 years ago.

This year’s theme, “The Courage to Believe,” highlighted pieces from various Black composers, proclaiming their strong faith in God and humanity, regardless of what adversity they face.

The program opened with an introduction by Jubilee bass and sophomore organ major Malik M. Jardine, welcoming the audience and giving a brief overview of the concert. Jardine then sat to play a piece on the organ titled “Adoration,” composed in 1951 by Florence Price, the first female African-American composer to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra.

Vinroy D. Brown, adjunct assistant professor of Sacred Music and the conductor of Jubilee singers, as well as a Jubilee alumni, put the entire concert in motion a year ago, picking specific pieces with historical significance. He ensured that all of the singers understood the meaning and context behind each piece, regardless of race.

“It’s important for me as a Black conductor teaching a diverse population of students, but a population that isn’t predominantly Black, that they’re not getting this music and thinking of it as just ‘smart’ pieces, but that they’re thinking about it critically from historical context and social context,” Brown said.

The choral then hopped into the singing portion of the presentation, first singing “Veni Sancte Spiritus,” Latin for “Come, Holy Spirit,” inspired by a Pentecost prayer and composed by Zanaida Robles of the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2012. Names, song titles, lyrics and historical context were available in the program for the audience to follow along.

The choir’s diction was clear as they swapped between Latin and English. Sophomore music major and soprano Try Quain, and junior music education major and alto Crystal Saar stepped down from the risers and up to the mic for solos.

“As a Black woman, I believe that singing these gospel songs is something that I was born to do … I’ve been singing gospel since high school, and ever since then, I fell in love with it, and it’s part of my identity … I really like that it applies to my Christian faith,” Quain said.

The second piece was a declaration song titled “I Believe,” composed in 2015 by Mark A. Miller, a professor of sacred music at both Drew University in New Jersey, and at Yale University in Connecticut.

Inspired by the anonymous message “I believe” carved into a cellar wall of a Jewish hiding spot in Cologne, Germany, during World War II, the song serves as a message of hope through dark times. Alto junior music education major Anna Maher was the soloist for this portion.

The following piece was a song titled “III Credo: I Believe in God,” part of Dr. Robert Ray’s “Gospel Mass.” Ray was the founder of the Saint Louis Symphony’s IN UNISON Chorus, and wrote this credo, a musical statement of beliefs, during his time as a liturgy team leader at the National Office of Black Catholics. Sopranos Samantha Murphy, sophomore voice performance major, and Julia N. Gerst, junior voice and opera major, sang the solo verses. 

The longest, yet most striking part of the performance was a three-part portion titled “Credo,” with a text written by civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois in 1904. The essay was set to music in 2003 by Rollo Dilworth, a professor of choral music at Temple University, as well as Brown’s current adviser for his musicology doctorate at Temple.

Brown addressed the audience before the song started, telling them how certain lyrics in this piece contain a relevance to today’s political climate. 

“I’m going to need everyone to put on their listening ears for this one,” Brown said into the microphone.

“Credo” speaks of a strong faith in a God who created people of all colors equally, of pride and happiness in being of African descent and of believing war is wrong and liberty should be for all. 

“I believe in the Devil and his angels, who wantonly work to narrow the opportunity of struggling human beings, especially if they be Black; who spit in the face of the fallen, strike them that cannot strike again, believe the worst and work to prove it, hating the image which their Maker stamped on brother’s soul,” said the lyrics. 

This proclamation in the second part of the song pulled reactions from several audience members, from silent nodding to mouths agape.

The last song was a heartwarming finale, with the choir covering “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” written in 1900 by civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson, and his brother, composer J. Rosamond Johnson, and later set to piano in 1978 by conductor Roland Carter. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has since labeled it as the “Negro National Anthem,” a fact that Brown informed the audience of.

The special moment came when Brown invited any Jubilee alumni in the audience to come up to the stage and join the chorus for the final hurrah of the evening. Several alumni filed in, returning to their vocal section on the risers, and singing the lyrics in perfect recollection and harmony with the current Jubilee members. 

After “Lift Every Voice and Sing” concluded, Jardine sat back down at the organ for the official last performance of the night. He played a version of the hymn “We Shall Overcome Thee,” an improvised arrangement by composer Carl Haywood. 

The song was originally a gospel hymn, utilized as a protest song by Black tobacco workers in the 1940s, eventually becoming a theme song of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s. 

“I just really enjoyed our performance, all of the songs, they’re really beautiful. All the soloists, the choir, the congregation, it was just magical,” Quain said. 

Westminster’s “The Courage to Believe” came together as both a harmonic protest demanding justice for those who need it and as a buoyant celebration of the faith and culture. 

Brown said, “This happened as the Jubilee Singers are also celebrating their 30th anniversary. So, we did a performance more so reflective of the hopes for the ensemble’s futures and about different belief systems, and how we can lean into our shared humanity to continue to create the world that we wish to see.”