Morgan State University Choir sings for Nelson Mandela Service at the National Cathedral in Washington DC

Eric Conway, D.M.A., Fine and Performing Arts Department Chairperson

of Morgan State University:

Hello Morgan Community,



What an extraordinary few days this has been for the Morgan State University Choir.  On Saturday morning, December 7, I received an email requesting the choir to participate in the official United States' effort to give honor and pay respect to the legacy of Nelson Mandela in a national memorial service on today, December 11, 2013 at 11:00 a.m.  We were asked to sing twelve minutes of music during the Prelude, and sing with the South Africa Community Choir during the service. 




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As much as an honor as it was to participate in the national service celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela, for me, the cultural exchange that we had on Tuesday evening with the South African choir was more valuable for our students, than the actual experience today during the service.  We sat beside South Africans who lived in the area, who felt compelled to come out and participate in the service.  South Africa has a strong choral tradition - a fact that I did not know until after our visit to South Africa.  Their sound is much different than ours, however still a very good one.  To hear their director talk about the passion of the words of their music and what it meant to them was a powerful testimony to our students about always singing with conviction.  During the service we sang side-by-side with our South African counterparts. 

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What a week this has been for Morgan!  Fair Morgan!