Norfolk

A tapestry of song, narrative, and instrumental pieces will tell the story of those who through their vision, fortitude, and industry founded, built and led Norfolk State University. The Voices of Enlightenment: A Diamond Jubilee concert will be performed by The Norfolk State University Concert Choir, under the direction of Carl Haywood and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Matthew Kraemer at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 19 at the L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center. It honors the men and women who shaped Norfolk State University from its founding to the present as well as those who have left their indelible mark on history and celebrates NSU’s 75 years of achievement.

  Through music, the choir will honor NSU’s founding fathers, Winston Douglas, Harvey N. Johnson, and its first director, Samuel Scott and the visionary, Lyman Beecher Brooks, first president of what was to become Norfolk State University.  The concert also acknowledges the contributions of presidents Harrison B. Wilson, Marie V. McDemmond, and Carolyn W. Meyers. It will also honor Colgate Darden, an early supporter and lobbyist for NSU, who used his political savvy to unite support for an independent four-year college in Norfolk.

  The concert also highlights Mary McLeod Bethune, an American educator and civil rights leader, who served as an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and is best known for organizing that which was to become Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona, Florida.

  Additionally, the concert pays tribute to one of the world’s most celebrated composers, Johannes Brahms, who perpetuated his beliefs in the human experience, Christian responsibility, and the academy of scholars through his music. His symphonies and choral music are romantically expressive and dynamic of Noah F. Ryder, who served as the third NSU choir director and first chair of the NSU music department. Ryder is known for his many arrangements of African American spirituals and piano works, his choirs served as the chief ambassador for the young institution throughout his tenure; and Ray Charles, one of the 100 “Greatest Artist of All Time.” He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music and consequently was one of the first Americans to unite the races through the idiom of music. He created a unique style of “soul music” by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and the blues.

  General admission to the concert is $20 for adults and $10 for students and children under 18 years of age. Proceeds from the concert are used for scholarships. For more information, call 823-8565 or visit www.nsu.edu/voices.