The Spirituals Project Choir
The Spirituals Project Choir is an important part of the spirituals story. The choir itself is made up of
about seventy singers of all ages and backgrounds with varying degrees of musical experience among the
members of the group. This community choir provides an opportunity for more people to connect with the
spirituals and to perform the many arrangements written for choral performance. Although The Spirituals
Project is a secular organization, the choir does give frequent concerts in churches. Other venues include
the Temple Events Center (2001 performance of the Pulitzer Prize winning play, "The Green Pastures" in
collaboration with Denver's Eden Theatrical Workshop, directed by Lucy Walker), an appearance with Denver's
Shadow Theater Company, directed by Jeffrey Nickelson, and appearances at The Shivers Concert Series in
Colorado Springs, the Taste of Colorado, Denver Art Museum, Colorado History Museum, Hesston College in
Hesston, Kansas and more. For a complete listing of past and future events see our Calendar of Events.
Sankofa: An Ensemble of The Spirituals Project is a 25 member choir dedicated to sharing the beautiful concertized versions of the spirituals. Sankofa is an Adinkra (African) symbol which illustrates the wisdom in learning from the past as we move toward building the future.
The Sojourners: An Ensemble of The Spirituals Project is a small, fluid ensemble dedicated to "bringing the music home." The group was recently created to fulfill TSP’s commitment to keeping the spirituals vibrant and accessible by performing as soloists or in small groups of less than 12 and without a conductor.
The Director
Bennie L. Williams was born and educated in Marshall, Texas, and graduated from Bishop College with a Bachelor
of Arts Degree in piano. Later, she received the Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting and Piano from Indiana
University at Bloomington. She began her teaching career in Dallas and moved to Denver in 1970. After a rewarding
career teaching vocal music in the Denver Public School System at the Hamilton and Merrill Middle Schools and
George Washington High School, she retired in 1998. Ms. Williams was a recent recipient of an annual award given
by the National Association of Negro Musicians, recognizing years of contribution to the musical education and
encouragement of young people.
Ms. Williams treasures the opportunities afforded her as a co-director of the Spirituals Project Choir. "The spirituals are our music. Our race survived the brutal persecution of slavery with strength derived from these songs. The songs enabled us to sing when we were afraid, mourn when we were hurting and, most of all, to persevere. The message of this music has been universally embraced as a symbol of hope. The spirituals were created by people who refused to give up and this is the message we must never forget."
Membership
Membership in the choir is by interview and audition, and can be arranged by contacting The Spirituals Project office.
Some musical experience, a good voice, an ear for harmonies and an eagerness to be involved in the mission of the
group are basic requirements. Sight reading ability is helpful, but not essential. Additionally, new members will
be asked to undergo some orientation to the music, most likely in the form of selected readings. Openings for singers
occur, from time to time, as all singers are volunteers and choir enrollment varies with changing circumstances for
individual members. At times a particular voice may be needed which could increase one's chance of being
admitted into the choir.
The Music
The choir celebrates, in effect, two traditions. One of them is the slave songs themselves. The other is the
concertized versions of these songs as first brought to the American and world public by the Fisk Jubilee Singers,
in the last quarter of the 19th Century, and successively by such great concert artists as Marian Anderson,
Roland Hayes, Paul Robeson and Jessye Norman. The choral tradition of this music brings to mind the names of
Hall Johnson, and the Hall Johnson Singers, William L. Dawson and the choirs of Tuskegee Institute and conductors
and arrangers such as John W. Work, Nathaniel Dett, H.T. Burleigh and Jester Hairston.
It is in the tradition of these, to name only a few, musicians and artists that The Spirituals Project Choir carries on the commitment to sharing these very special and uniquely American songs with its growing circle of friends and fans. The spirit of this music cannot be contained, as is witnessed by the many people who hear the choir sing.
The choir sings primarily written arrangements of the spirituals. Many of these arrangements have become part of the standard choral concert repertoire. They include the work of William L. Dawson, Jester Hairston, Moses Hogan, John Work, Hall Johnson, Undine Smith Moore and Alice Parker. Additionally, the choir is singing new arrangements written specifically for the choir which attempt to bring back a more basic form, nearer to the style in which the songs were sung a century or more ago. This "minimalist" style is part of an objective to make these songs more accessible to a greater number of people and re-discover the earlier forms that so effectively moved people worldwide toward this music and the spirit from which it was born.
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