Everett McCorvey Will Join the American Antiquarian Society for Virtual Concert

Dr. Everett McCorvey, Music Worcester’s Artist-in-Residence, and other soloists will activate the American Antiquarian Society collection in a special virtual concert on Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00 pm.

Titled In Their Words & Voices, the free virtual performance will feature spirituals and art songs from the 19th century drawn from the American Antiquarian Society’s extensive collection of early American music, including a recreation of parts of an 1875 concert in Worcester by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The virtual event is free to attend, but registration is required at www.musicworcester.org

Founded in 1871, the Fisk Jubilee Singers became internationally renowned for preserving and performing the Negro spiritual tradition while raising funds for Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Their groundbreaking tours included performances for President Ulysses S. Grant and Queen Victoria, helping introduce spirituals to audiences around the world.

McCorvey is the Founder and Artistic Director of the American Spiritual Ensemble, a professional group dedicated to the preservation and performance of the American Negro spiritual. He also serves as Conductor and Artistic Director of the National Chorale and Orchestra of New York City and holds the Endowed Chair in Opera at the University of Kentucky, where he is Professor of Voice.

McCorvey will be joined by sopranos Angela Brown and Karen Slack; tenor John Wesley Wright; and baritone Kenneth Overton.  Pianist Tedrin Blair Lindsay is the accompanist.

In January 2026, Everett McCorvey began serving as Music Worcester’s third Artist-in-Residence, a post he will hold through spring 2027. The Artist-in-Residence program expands on typical one-day interactions between visiting artists and area students by establishing long-term relationships between the artist and the community over the course of a year or more. Each residency is tailored to the skills and interests of the artist. Everett McCorvey, Music Worcester’s third Artist-in-Residence, follows pianist Simone Dinnerstein (2019) and violinist Vijay Gupta (2023).

McCorvey will be part of several public concerts, and work with students in the Worcester Public Schools, the Worcester Chorus, the Worcester Children’s Chorus, and Black Excellence Academy. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, he received his degrees from the University of Alabama, including a Doctor of Musical Arts, and currently holds an Endowed Chair in Opera at the University of Kentucky, also serving as Professor of Voice.

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