One of the students, Steven Weems from Cleveland, did an outstanding job as the youth director with help from LaVonte Heard.
By JAMES W. WADE III
Staff Reporter
Click here to watch video from concert
Holy Trinity Baptist Church held its 6th annual Black History program featuring the Central State University Chorus. Phyllis Adams, who serves as the chair person for the mission ministry, was delighted for such a great turn out.
The choir came this year without the world famous director William Henry Caldwell, who retired. But, you could tell he had invested a lot of time with this group of students who came to lift up the name of Jesus.
The highly acclaimed Central State University Chorus, under the direction of William Henry Caldwell, has a repertoire encompassing all periods and styles, including Black spiritual music.
The chorus has performed in the chambers of the House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate as well as for the Ohio Music Educators Association. The singers have toured overOhio, theMiamiValley, the East Coast, Midwest andSoutheastern U.S.
In 1994, the chorus performed inWashington,D.C.to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The group has performed with Stevie Wonder, Albertina Walker, Tremaine Hawkins, Vaclac Nelhybel and have presented a tribute concert to famed CSU graduate and operatic diva Leontyne Price, as part of theCentralState’s Centennial celebration in 1987.
In 1993, the chorus performed with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, resulting in the Telarc International CD, A Gospel Celebration, Amen. The disk was nominated for a Grammy Award and also featured Jennifer Holliday, Maureen McGovern, and Lou Rawls.
The chorus also recorded Blue Monday and Porgy and Bess for Telarc and the Cincinnati Pops.
In 1988, the singers performed inWashingtonfor President George Bush and, in 1990-92, they performed on a national Black Entertainment Network broadcast with Bobby Jones.
The chorus also recorded with Bill Cosby, Arsenio Hall, and the President of Senegal. They have two albums of classical, spiritual and gospel music of their own.
The singers play a very active role in campus events and serve as goodwill artists and ambassadors in a wide variety of settings, including conventions, banquets and convocations.
One of the students, Steven Weems fromCleveland, did an outstanding job as the youth director with help from LaVonte Heard. So many voices rang clear doing the concert that brought the audience to it’s feet many times.
If you have never seen this choir, whenever they are in the area, you need to make sure you see them.
