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| Feb.
2 - 3, 2008 Negro Spiritual Workshop and Concert Old Zion Baptist Church Marietta, GA April 3, 2008 Savannah Music Festival Sept. 2008 Birmingham, Ala (TBA) |
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Booking / Contact Information:
Recent
Performances:
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Click
above to watch a performance of "Great Day" by The Georgia
Spiritual Ensemble. |
"The Negro spiritual is a distinct type of music which resembles no other and therefore requires special treatment in performance."
- Hall Johnson
The
Georgia Spiritual Ensemble was created to further the enduring legacy
and tradition of the Negro Spiritual. Born out of the horrific conditions
through which the enslaved Africans suffered during their early days
of existence in this country, these songs became just one of the tools
they used to inform the world of their plight, sufferings, their feelings,
and to talk to their God about a life and a home in which they longed
to return to.
The tradition of singing these, 'quaint,' plaintive melodies in concert began with the Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1872. With the constant formation of similar groups these precious melodies will continue to be kept alive. The Georgia Spiritual Ensemble is dedicated to sustaining that tradition by bringing to life their feelings, emotions and musical genius each of these musical gems possess.
Each of the singers sings with a feeling, depth and emotion that is sure to spiritually move and excite every listener. Debra Crampton, Timothy Harper, Selina Madison, Oral Moses, Mazelle Webster and Johnetta Tillman all have had numerous successes in performing in the Atlanta Metropolitan area and Nationally. All possess academic achievements of note.
The Georgia Spiritual Ensemble sings traditional and arranged choral and solo spirituals that have been popularized throughout the twentieth century. Because of the strong musical legacy the spiritual possesses and the horrific conditions under which it "sprang," into existence, it continues to maintain its original haunting quality and its uncanny beauty and dignity.
Photo Gallery
- Ghana
Click an image to see a larger version
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| Enslaved Africans were packed on ship for the convenience of the slave ship Captain to carry the maximum bodies across the Atlantic Ocean. | Every person put on the ship was kept in this position during the entire horrific journey across the Atlantic Ocean and was only brought up on deck to get fresh air and to be made to jump and dance to keep circulation in the body. | This was the place in the river where the enslaved Africans were given their last bath before they were locked away in the Slave Castle before being put on slave ships. |
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| It was through this door that the enslaved African was put on board the slave ship never again to return to his home….. | This door appears to be rather small, however every person could well fit through this door. After being captured and marched for countless days with very little to eat and then being kept in a holding cell of the slave castle for maybe more than a month, it is said that no matter what size the largest man was when captured he would have lost so much weight that he would have easily fitted through this door. |