Central State Chorus travels far and wide

The group stays especially busy during Black History Month.

Central State University Chorus members have performed at the White House, been headliners for the Czech National Orchestra and have carried their voices to other parts of Europe and South America, as well as the U.S. from east to west.

The chorus started its 2017 Black History Month schedule on Feb. 2 with its annual concert at Clark State Community College’s Performing Arts Center, then traveled to Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit for concerts as part of THE WORD radio, a Christian network.

“Central State is the only Historically Black University in Ohio, so we’re the sole voice and ambassadors for that HBU tradition,” said chorus director and assistant professor of music Jeremy Winston. Founded 130 years ago, Central State, in Wilberforce, is one of the nation’s oldest HBU’s.

The chorus, which focuses on African-American spirituals, gospel and jazz has been nominated for a Grammy Award twice for its albums.

“In March we’ll take a break, then start on our spring tour,” said Winston. “Last year, we went out West for our annual spring tour, to perform in Phoenix, Las Vegas San Francisco and Los Angeles.”

The chorus, which averages 50 members, traveled to Prague in the Czech Republic in 2014, where they were the featured chorus at Smetana Hall, Municipal House, then went on to perform in small towns throughout Germany.

In that same year, they performed in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York and Pittsburgh, and their spring tour took them to Spain, where they performed in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

In 2015 South America was on their schedule. Winston said, “We did a performance in Medellin, Colombia, in conjunction with its local university and symphony orchestra.” Winston, who earned his master’s degree in both conducting and voice at Morgan State University in Baltimore, also conducted the orchestra, as he had done with the Czech National Orchestra in Prague.

“The chorus performed excerpts from ‘Porgy and Bess’ and also performed for the Flower Festival, the biggest festival of the year in Colombia, for 5,000 people.

“In December of 2013, we performed at the White House by invitation of (first lady) Michelle Obama, and another time, on the Senate Rotunda at the invitation of Senator Rob Portman (from Ohio),” Winston said.

Earlier this month, they participated in a joint performance in Atlanta at Morehouse College, and they’ve sung in the past at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where both Martin Luther King Jr. and Sr. were pastors.

“The music community here at Central is very serious, and the students are heavily driven,” said Winston. “Our Fine and Performing Arts Department is recognized by the state and breeds a sense of pride.

“This is an environment where people are eager to get better; combine that with the talent they bring and my job is to help them grow that talent and show them how it can lead them to do great things.

“Chorus members come, practice and want to travel,” says Winston. “Sporadically, we’ll get a call to perform — sometimes for a few members, other times for the whole chorus, and that keeps them on their toes and ready to go.”

The next opportunity to hear the Central State Chorus locally will be at its annual end-of-year concert, hosted by the alumni chapter, on April 23, from 4-6 p.m. at Phillips Temple CME Church, 3620 Shiloh Springs Road. There’s a $10 charge, which will go toward scholarships and the chorus.

Contact this contributing writer at virgburroughs@gmail.com.

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