|
Morehouse Glee Club Will Appear at
Historic Third Baptist on March 10
Special to The Truth
The Morehouse College Glee Club will appear
in concert at the historic Third Baptist Church on
Wednesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. in an event arranged by Rev.
Glenn Jones, pastor of music and worship at Third Baptist.
Rhonda Sewelll, media coordinator for the
Toledo-Lucas County Public Library will serve as mistress of
ceremonies for the evening.
The Morehouse College Glee Club embraces an
almost 100 year tradition of musical excellence and
achievement. In 2011 the club celebrate its centennial. The
Glee Club has continued in this tradition through the
dedication and commitment of its members and the leadership
that its directors have provided throughout the years. It is
a tradition that has bestowed upon the Glee Club a vast
history of attainment and shall provide it with a secure
future of even greater accomplishments.
In 1911, Morehouse College, which was then
Atlanta Baptist College, had a music professor named Georgia
Starr. She served the College from 1903-1905 and again from
1908-1911.
Kemper Harreld assumed directorship and
officially founded the Glee Club when he joined the
College's music faculty in the fall of 1911. Harreld became
director of the Glee Club and chairman of the Music
Department. After faithfully serving for 42 years, he
retired in 1953.
Harreld was responsible for initiating the
Glee Club's strong tradition of excellence and passing it on
to its members.
Wendell Phillips Whalum, Sr., '52, took the
helm as the Glee Club's second director. Whalum was a prized
student of Kemper Harreld and had served as Student Director
during his tenure in the Glee Club. Whalum, more commonly
known as "Doc", served Morehouse College and the Glee Club
with the continued tradition of excellence until his
untimely passing on June 9, 1987.
In the fall semester of 1987, David E.
Morrow, '80, assumed directorship of the Glee Club. David
Morrow was a prized student of "Doc,” just as "Doc" was of
Kemper Harreld. He was also a scholar at Morehouse College,
graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1980 as Valedictorian. He
earned his Master's degree at the University of Michigan in
1981 and then returned to his alma mater as a part of the
music faculty and as Assistant Director of the Glee Club.
During the 1992-1993 school year, Harding Epps, '74, served
as interim Director while Morrow finished the coursework for
the doctoral degree. In 1995, Morrow received the Doctor of
Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati
College-Conservatory of Music.
On January 18, 1993, the Glee Club, as part
of the Morehouse-Spelman Chorus, sang at Atlanta's Symphony
Hall with soprano Jessye Norman in a concert celebrating the
Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The Glee Club also
performed the National Anthem with Natalie Cole for Super
Bowl XXVIII.
They participated with Stevie Wonder, Gloria
Estefan and Trisha Yearwood in the Opening and Closing
Ceremonies of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games held in
Atlanta. In February 2002, the Glee Club performed for the
Witness Concert with the Plymouth Music Series and
premiered the work Of Dreams and Other Possibilities
written by Patrice Rushen.
In 2004, the Glee Club performed with Take
6 at the Rialto Theater in Atlanta. In 2008 the Glee
Club recorded the spiritual He’s Got the Whole World in
His Hands for Spike Lee’s movie Miracle at St. Anna.
Earlier that year we performed with mezzo soprano Denyce
Graves for the inaugural concert for Morehouse College
president Dr. Robert Franklin. For that occasion we also
premiered the work And There Was Light by Uzee Brown.
In October 2009 the Glee Club, as part of the Morehouse-Spelman
Chorus performed with Aretha Franklin for the 88th
Birthday Tribute to the Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery. The Glee
Club has also performed internationally in West Africa
(1972), Russia (1996), Poland (1998), Bermuda (2001), the
Bahamas (2005), and South Africa (2008).
The current members of the Glee Club cherish
the history of the Glee Club and pay homage to past
accomplishments by preparing to add noteworthy
accomplishments to it from their future performances.
For more information on the glee Club’s March
10 appearance at Third Baptist call the church at
419-248-4623
|
