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Christopher Hawley said he had trouble meeting people when he arrived at Winston-Salem State University -- so much so that he was thinking about going back home to Durham. Then, he said, a friend suggested that he try out for WSSU's choir.
He tried out, was accepted and decided to stay for another semester.
Now a senior, Hawley says that his relationships with choir members and the choir's formidable director, D'Walla Simmons Burke, made all the difference in his career at WSSU.
Photo: Choir Director D'Walla Simmons Burke philosophy is simply, "You can do nothing great by yourself." The Fort Valley, GA native was educated at Hampton University, UNC Greensboro and has lead the WSSU Choir as conductor to perform Faure's Requiem at New York's Carnegie Hall, becoming the first black female professor to debut as a conductor in this venue. In 2006, the WSSU choir was invited to perform with the Dvorak Symphony Orchestra in Prague, Czech Republic.
"The people in choir are like family to me," he said. "If it wasn't for choir, I probably would have transferred to another school."
He thinks of Burke, he said, as a second mother.
"She's very stern. She's going to push you, but that's a good thing," he said. "My mother's in Durham -- she's not with me now. Ms. Burke is right here with me."
Burke has been the director of choral and vocal studies since she came to WSSU in 1989. She had been teaching at Voorhees College near Denmark, S.C.
Compiled by beepbeep, MEAC/SWAC Sports Main Street
Photo: Morgan State University Choir: "Wherever it traveled, Dr. Carter insisted that the chorus perform at least one song in the language of the country it visited. In Prague, Czech residents greeted the singers in the streets with chants of "Morgan, Morgan, Morgan!"
We are amazed by the tremendous talent and high level of achievement that exists in organizations within the MEAC and SWAC institutions. We are not speaking about football championships, but cultural achievements like the Morgan State University Choir concert winning three Emmy Awards for Maryland Public Television. This was some time ago, but their performance is still electrifying today.
We saw this show for the fourth time this afternoon and each time we hear MSU Choir, we get the same feelings of pride as we do in viewing the FAMU Marching 100, the Fisk Jubilee Singers or the Morehouse Glee Club.
Morgan State University has one of the nation's most respected and lauded choral ensembles. Known for their consistency of excellent performances, the Choir probably does more annual appearances with major orchestras of the United States than any other university choir.
The late Dr. Nathan W. Carter, Jr., who was an internationally renowned teacher of vocal music, directed the choir for 34 years until his death in 2004, at age 68. He was chairman of Morgan's Department of Fine Arts and director of the university's performing arts series. He also led a fundraising drive for the school's $40 million performing arts center, which opened in 2001.
The organizations are now under the baton of Dr. Eric Conway, who is a highly accomplished pianist, conductor and chairperson of the MSU Department of Fine Arts. He has served as Associate Conductor and principal accompanist for the Morgan State University Choir for the past twenty years under the leadership of the late Nathan Carter.
"We preach not only music, but learning good work habits, discipline, responsibility," Dr. Carter told the Baltimore Sun in 2000. "We expect them to be punctual and to look sharp."
Photo: Conductor Dr. Eric Conway and the Morgan State University Choir.
Background history:
The Morgan State University Choir, led for more than three decades by the late Dr. Nathan Carter, the celebrated conductor, composer, and arranger, is one of the nation’s most prestigious university choral ensembles. The choral forces of the critically acclaimed choir include the University Choir, which is over 140 voices strong, and The Morgan Singers – approximately 40 voices.
While classical, gospel, and contemporary popular music comprise the choir’s repertoire, the choir is noted for its emphasis on preserving the heritage of the spiritual, especially in the historic practices of performance. The Morgan State University Choir has performed for audiences throughout the United States and all over the world – including the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Canada, Africa, Asia and Europe.
Their most recent overseas appearance was in St. Petersburg, Russia at the invitation of Maestro Yuri Temirkanov, music director and conductor for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
In Russia, the Choir performed in the 5th International Festival Arts Square to enthusiastic receptions by their Russian audiences. The Choir has appeared at the Kennedy Center, the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall on numerous occasions – performing and premiering works such as John Corigiliano’s “Poem On His Birthday,” “Too Hot to Handel” arranged by Broadway composers, Bob Christianson and Gray Anderson; and Hannibal Lokumbe’s “African Portraits,” led by music director, Leonard Slatkin, as part of the Kennedy Center’s African Festival.
One of the Choir’s most historic moments came with the opportunity to sing under the baton of Robert Shaw, conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and joined by Jessye Norman and others in Carnegie Hall’s One Hundredth Birthday Tribute to Marian Anderson.
A major milestone and historical movement occurred in the 1996-1997 season with the sounds of the “Silver Anniversary” concert being broadcast into households throughout the state of Maryland. The concert won three Emmy Awards for Maryland Public Television (MPT). MPT continues to air this hallmark performance during select sections of their membership drives.
Known for their consistency of excellent performances, the Choir probably does more annual appearances with major orchestras of the United States than any other university choir.
For example, season 1998-1999 included performances with the National Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Buffalo Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, and the Knoxville Symphony. During the 1999-2000 season, the Choir was featured with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in a (then) newly commissioned work for the millennium, “All Rise,” by Wynton Marsalis.
The Choir reprised “All Rise” in Prague, in October 2000 and recorded it with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and in 2003, the Choir recorded it in Paris.
In December 2003 the Choir performed “African Portraits” with the Baltimore Symphony at the Gala Concert for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture.
In their May 2004 issue, Reader’s Digest named the Morgan State University Choir “the Best College Choir in the U.S.’ in its list of “America’s 100 Best.”
Morgan State University Choir - "What A Mighty God We Serve", Dr. Eric Conway, Conductor
Morgan State University Choir - "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Eric Conway, Conductor.
Morgan State University Choir - "Ezekiel SawThe Wheel," Dr. Eric Conway, Conductor
Morgan State University Choir ministers with "Jesus Christ Is The Way" with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Eric Conway, Conductor.
The Morgan State University Choir performs "We Shall Walk Through The Valley in Peace," with Dr. Eric Conway, Conductor. This arrangement is by the choir's late great director, Dr. Nathan M. Carter.
The Morgan State University Choir performs "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Eric Conway, Conductor. This arrangement is by the choir's late great director, Dr. Nathan M. Carter. Soloist: Andrea Albert.
