Harry T. Burleigh Society: Meet Dartisha Mosley: A Fisk Jubilee Singer

Dartisha Mosley

Harry T. Burleigh Society

Meet Dartisha Mosley:
Fisk Jubilee Singers^®

Tell us about yourself and your musical background. I grew up in Aurora, IL, the City of Lights. For as long as I could remember, I was singing. Every opportunity to sing or perform filled me with excitement, and I was committed. Throughout grade school and high school, I was a regular participant in talent shows and theatre productions. At my alma mater, East Aurora High School, I sang with our honors chorus and became an active member of the Tri-M Music National Honor Society where I worked to celebrate and bring music to all students in my district through concerts, plays, and musicals. I enrolled at Fisk University in the Fall of 2016 and began my first lessons in Classical Voice and pedagogy under the tutelage of Ms. Gwendolyn Brown, M.M.

What made you want to be a member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers®? When I walked onto the campus of Fisk University, my eyes immediately caught sight of the beautiful, majestic Jubilee Hall. The Original Fisk Jubilee Singers selflessly gave their all to sustain their institution and for scholars like me who would follow after and reap the fruit of all they endured. When I came to understand the magnitude of their sacrifice, perseverance, and faith, my heart was moved. I wanted to be a Fisk Jubilee Singer to continue a rich legacy of love, selflessness, and music that moves the spirit and soothes the soul. Their sacrifice is not only encased within the walls of Jubilee Hall, nicknamed “frozen music,” but also within my heart and in every note I sing.

What do you hope to learn and experience in your time as a Singer? Above all, I hope to continue learning about the lives of the original Fisk Jubilee Singers and to carry on the knowledge of the sacred Spirituals they revealed to the world through singing. I want to continue to grow in my musicianship and enjoy my time performing with my fellow members of this year’s ensemble.

What are your future plans? During my time at Fisk  University, I have  found grounding in the  disciplines of English  and Music with  concentration in Voice.  As a dual major, I am  able to weave these  two art forms  together and find a  deeper understanding  of the music that speaks to  a particular people or  cultural group. After  finding my passion for  Ethnomusicology and  Vocal performance,  my educational and  professional goals are  focused towards earning  a Ph. D. and branding  myself in the field  of professional vocal  performance. As a  first-generation student,  the opportunity to study  at an institution of higher  learning is unique in  the history of my  family. Through  perseverance and  determination, I held  onto my dreams of  being all I can be. Fisk  has made it possible  for me to reach   heights I could have  never foreseen. Fisk Jubilee Singers® Sing  Harry T. Burleigh Spirituals March 2nd 2019 Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall 7:30pm  The Harry T. Burleigh Society  and the Fisk Jubilee  Singers® join in a historic  performance celebrating  Ella Sheppard (1851– 1915), an original Fisk  Jubilee Singer, and Harry  T. Burleigh (1866–1949),  leaders of the concert  spiritual tradition. The  Fisk Jubilee Singers®  will perform the music  of these under-heard  cultural leaders, and  make calls for freedom. More Than the Promise of the  American Myth: Rethinking  Burleigh & Sheppard  in the Second Gilded Age March 3rd, 2019 May Room - Weill Terrace Room, Carnegie Hall 9am - 3pm The Harry T. Burleigh Society's  first academic conference  considers Burleigh's and  Sheppard's impact on the  concert spiritual genre, the  historiographic limits of  composer biography, Black  art music aesthetics,  and the liberatory  capabilities within the  work of Burleigh,  Sheppard, and their  contemporaries. Dr.  Daphne Brooks will  deliver the keynote  address. Other  speakers include  Dr. Louise Toppin,  baritone Kenneth  Overton, Dr. Crystal  deGregory and  descendants of  Burleigh and Sheppard.  Free and open to  the public.  Registration required  by February 15th to  join us for lunch ($30).