| February 9 News Story
Pictured are the Fisk Jubilee Singers as they appeared while performing the finale of their concert Friday evening at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Coldwater.
Jubilee Singers Perform in Costume
For their finale, the Jubilee Singers changed into period costumes such as the original 1871-era singers would have worn as they toured America and Europe, bringing financial support and economic survival to their school, Fisk University of Nashville, Tennessee.
The concert was sponsored by the Lake Campus of Wright State University. Lake Campus’ Dean Anita Curry-Jackson introduced the singers and their director Paul T. Kwami, originally of Ghana, West Africa, and a graduate of the National Academy of Music in Winneba, Ghana, to the more than 300 people in attendance.
The Jubilee Singers performed a cappella more than 20 spiritual selections, sharing the music of their heritage. Selections included “Lord, I’m Out Here On Your Word,” “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands,” and “There Is A Balm in Gilead.” The singers closed the program with “Fare Ye Well” in their 1870’s costumes.
The Singers continue to travel extensively and continue the tradition of sharing African American vocal history from slavery to present. The group has been featured in several television documentaries and has been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Arts Club of New York.
As they shared the music of the spirituals with the world, the Jubilee Singers enabled Fisk University to survive economically and expand. Fisk was founded in 1866 as a liberal arts institution committed to educating the newly freed slaves.
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