Fisk Jubilee Singers to Visit Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida in New South Arts Touring Program

Atlanta, GA – South Arts is pleased to announce that five presenting organizations in three states have been selected to participate in the 2013-2014 Fisk Jubilee Singers Touring Program. This year’s participants are:

• Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College/Arts Connection (Tifton, GA)
• Duke University/Duke Performances (Durham, NC)
• Friends of the Douglass Theatre Complex (Macon, GA)
• Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs/South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (Cutler Bay, FL)
• Ruth Eckerd Hall (Clearwater, FL)

The Fisk Jubilee Singers are vocalists and students at Fisk University in Nashville, TN, who tour throughout the United States and overseas. Since 1871, the singers have played an important role in preserving the distinctive American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals. In 2008, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were awarded the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artists and patrons of the arts.

“The Fisk Jubilee Singers represent a traditional artform that is unique to our region,” said Susie Surkamer, South Arts executive director. “The performances and residencies will strengthen arts education and engage students while sharing the talent and legacy of the Fisk Jubilee Singers with audiences throughout the South.”

As a part of this new program, each presenting organization will receive funding for a four-day residency with the Fisk Jubilee Singers’ Musical Director, Dr. Paul Kwami, at a local high school. The residencies will be followed by a public full-length performance by the Jubilee Singers which will also include songs with the school choir.

“I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to South Arts for providing such a wonderful cultural opportunity to the Fisk Jubilee Singers,” Dr. Kwami said. “The history and music of this ensemble are very important to the American culture and opportunities such as this help to preserve this musical culture. The educational opportunities to be presented will help support the need for the arts in our communities.”

This tour will begin October 2013. For additional information about this program and other South Arts grant opportunities, contact Nikki Estes, South Arts Grants Program Director, at nestes@southarts.org, or (404) 874-7244 ext. 16.

About Fisk Jubilee Singers
The Fisk Jubilee Singers are vocal artists and students at Fisk University in Nashville, TN., who sing and travel worldwide. The original Fisk Jubilee Singers introduced ‘slave songs’ to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American choral musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals. The Fisk Jubilee Singers continue the tradition of singing the Negro spiritual around the world. This allows the ensemble to share this rich culture globally while preserving this unique music. For more information, visit www.fiskjubileesingers.org

About South Arts
South Arts is a nonprofit regional arts organization founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. An annual portfolio of activities is developed to address the role of the arts in impacting the issues important to our region, and to link the South with the nation and the world through the arts. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.