Fisk Jubilee Singers To Celebrate 150 Years With Ryman Benefit

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The Fisk Jubilee Singers photographed in Jubilee Hall at Fisk University on Oct. 29, 2020. Photo: Bill Steber and Pat Casey Daley.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the ensemble with a special benefit concert at the Ryman Auditorium on Nov. 11.

The show will feature performances of their traditional repertoire of spirituals with a lineup of talent, including Jason Eskridge, Ruby Amanfu, Natalie Hemby, Brassville, Rissi Palmer, Kyla Jade, Tommy Sims, Starlito, Curt Chambers and Dr. Bobby Jones. Marcia Dyson, founder of Women’s Global Institute, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies while Shannon Sanders, the Grammy, Emmy and Dove award-winning producer, will serve as co-musical director for the concert with Musical Director and Fisk Jubilee Singer Alumnus Dr. Paul T. Kwami. Tickets are available for purchase now.

“This has been an extraordinary year, and we are so excited about the future of the Fisk Jubilee Singers,” says Dr. Jens Frederiksen, Executive Vice President, Fisk University. “The voices of the Fisk Jubilee Singers have inspired generations across the country and the world, and today’s ensemble continues to exemplify everything that makes Fisk University such a special place.”

Earlier this year, the Fisk Jubilee Singers received their first Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album, making Fisk University the first Historically Black College & University to receive that honor.  They were also honored with the Rhapsody and Rhythm Award from the National Museum of African American Music, and a Dove Award nomination.

“Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Fisk Jubilee Singers is an incredible milestone,” adds Butch Spyridon, President and CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “We are honored to support this event and the singers who first started exporting music from Music City all those years ago.”

The Fisk Jubilee Singers were organized as a choral ensemble in 1871, playing an important role in introducing and sustaining the tradition of the Negro spiritual. The ensemble traveled throughout the world in the 1800s, singing songs that were sacred to them and raising money to support Nashville’s Fisk University. The ensemble is comprised of Fisk University students, who are selected annually through an audition process.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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