Holdings Fine Arts and Applied Arts School of Music University of Illinois Blac... Finding Aid Holdings Fine Arts and Applied Arts School of Music University of Illinois Blac... Finding Aid By Sandy Kroeker
Title: University of Illinois Black Chorus Records, ca. 1917-2023
ID: 12/5/88
Primary Creator: Black Chorus (1968-)
Extent: 2.75 cubic feet
Arrangement: Organized in four series: Series 1: Black Sacred Music Symposium, ca. 1991-2019; Series 2: Music, ca. 1917-2011; Series 3: Administrative Records, ca. 1981-2014; Series 4: Black Chorus Performances, ca. 1984-2023. Each series is arranged chronologically.
Date Acquired: 12/15/2023
Subjects: Choirs, Music, Vocal music
Consists of music, administrative records, programs, posters, awards, and photographs documenting the activities of the Black Chorus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Founded in 1968, the Black Chorus is a mixed chorus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Originally organized by four students and later sponsored by the African-American Cultural program and School of Music Choral Division, the mission of the Black Chorus is to promote African-American musical expression. To fulfill this mission, they maintain an active performance schedule, both on and off campus. They also host the Black Sacred Music Symposium biennially at UIUC, a conference dedicated to the study and performance of Black sacred music traditions.
In addition to performing at various colleges and universities throughout the country, the Black Chorus has performed at the National Black Gospel College Choir Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia; they have performed with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra and as special guests at an Orchestra Hall concert in Chicago. They perform the music of Black Americans, including Negro spirituals, anthems, formal music, traditional and contemporary gospel, jazz, and rhythm and blues. Dr. Ollie Watts Davis has been the conductor of the Black Chorus since 1981.
Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Acquisition Source: Ollie Watts Davis
Acquisition Method: Transfer
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