David A. Richardson,
Music Director
Charleston Spiritual Ensemble
at 2016 Piccolo Spoleto
Jews & Blacks: Parallels of Our Past
Saturday, June 4
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2016 Charleston SC—The
Charleston Spiritual Ensemble, a 35-member vocal group focusing on traditional African-American spirituals, performs at the 2016 Piccolo Spoleto Festival
Saturday, June 4 with a unique musical performance entitled Jews & Blacks: Parallels of Our
Past under the direction of Music Director David A. Richardson.
The event takes place at 7:00 p.m. at
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE), 90 Hasell Street, downtown Charleston.
Coming
off a sold-out debut in February, the Ensemble performs this moving
tribute to the history of Black-Jewish encounters in America over the
past
five decades, in particular the role of the organized Jewish community
in the civil rights movement and their natural alliance in the battle
for civil rights. This communal relationship supported both Black and
Jewish agendas to combat hatred and discrimination
through social action and make common cause toward greater rights for
all minorities.
Spirituals
and other songs including sacred and folk songs were commonly performed
during the height of the civil rights movement. This music expressed
how strife was soothed by call and response singing that was the norm
on southern plantations throughout the South during slavery. The
performance’s selections will be accompanied by historical footnotes
from Dr. Karen A. Chandler of the College of Charleston.
Charleston Spiritual
Ensemble President and event producer Lee Pringle says, “This concert
is autobiographical as my parents greatly benefitted from the kindness
of the Jewish community when they migrated
to Harlem and later to Spring Valley, New York from the Jim Crow South
in the early 1960s. The manner in which Jews treated our family was
never forgotten.” Pringle later join a group of progressive Jews and
Blacks,
The African-American Jewish Connection (AAJC), which was among
the first organized groups to call for removal of the Confederate Flag
from the South Carolina State House in 1991.
David A. Richardson,
Director says, “The Spiritual was and is a powerful method of peaceful
protest. Fifty years after landmark civil rights advances it’s still
important to remind adults and teach our children
about our parallel past. Music is a wonderful way to chronicle history
and I am honored to be a part of this important event.”
Performance Tickets/Information
Saturday, June 4, 2016 • 7:00 p.m.
Charleston Spiritual Ensemble @ Piccolo Spoleto
Jews & Blacks: Parallels of Our Past
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, 90 Hasell Street, downtown Charleston
General admission tickets: $21 adults; $11 children or students with ID
Available at www.charlestonspiritual.com,
(866) 811-4111 or at door (cash/check only) up to one hour before performance
About the Charleston Spiritual Ensemble
Now in its eighth
year, the Charleston Spiritual Ensemble is a 35-member vocal group based
in Charleston focusing on African-American spirituals and sacred and
black classical contributions to musical music.
The Ensemble’s core musical offering honors the devout musical
tradition that African-Americans formed as slaves after arriving in this
country and in particular its relevant history in South Carolina. The
spiritual has shaped and inspired the evolution of
classically trained African-American composers and arrangers.
About Music Director David A. Richardson
A
recipient of the prestigious Charleston Southern University Horton
School of Music Senior Excellence Award for his exceptional work in the
area of Choral Music Education, Mr. Richardson is a noted baritone
soloist who has garnered the admiration of the choral
community throughout the Carolinas. He serves as Music Director of the
Charleston Gospel Choir, now in its 15th season, and the Charleston
Spiritual Ensemble. As a professional vocalist, he toured the United
Kingdom, Scotland, Austria, and Prague, where he
performed with the CSU concert choir to much acclaim.
An
accomplished pianist, Mr. Richardson has served as Music Director for
several regional productions and has accompanied choral programs and
honor choirs at all levels, including
three seasons with the University Children’s Choir. Mr. Richardson
serves as Director of the Vocal Music Arts program at Rollings Middle
School of the Art and is the former Director of Choral Activities at
Fort Dorchester High School and Band Director and
Music Specialist in the Berkeley County School District.
Mr.
Richardson is the Director of Vocal Music for the annual Charleston
Southern University Music Camp and the Oconee County Choral Festival. In
addition, Mr. Richardson has conducted
performances with orchestra including Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Martini’s
Domine Adjuvandum Me Festina, and Telemann’s Jehovam Omnes Gentes
with chamber orchestra and is an accomplished organist and pianist. Mr.
Richardson earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education with voice
emphasis from Charleston Southern University.
He is currently a candidate for the Master of Music Education degree at
Kent State University.
Promotional photos available upon request.
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