Penn State's Essence of Joy presents its annual holiday gift to the community at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, in the Worship Hall of the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the University Park campus. The Essence of Joy Alumni Singers will appear as special guests and join with Essence of Joy for the conclusion. The program features compositions by Glenn Edward Burleigh and Moses George Hogan, "focus composers" for all performances in both choirs during the 2016-17 performance year. Essence of Joy and the Essence of Joy Alumni Singers are conducted by Penn State faculty member Anthony Leach.
Tickets are $4.99 for the general public, $2 for students. No advance ticket purchase is available. Ticket sales begin 45 minutes prior to the concert in the lobby. Cash only. This concert is available on livestream at http://cwstudios.tv/livestream/.
Program
Essence of Joy
- Hear My Prayer - Moses Hogan
- Jesus Is the Light of the World/Walk in the Light - Kenneth Louis/Anthony Leach (Eric Williamson, Joshua Edwards, Daniel Wells, soloists)
- Nguzo Saba Suite, Op. 41 - Glenn Burleigh
- Glory, Glory, Glory to the Newborn King! - Moses Hogan (Austen Auriemma, soloist)
Essence of Joy Alumni Singers
- With What Shall I Come? - Rosephanye Powell
- Magnificat (My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord) - Robert Ray (Melanie Gerald, soloist)
- Born to Die, Op. 25 (excerpts) - Glenn Burleigh (Kiena Williams, soloist)
Massed Choirs
- Born to Die (from "Born to Die, Op. 25") - Glenn Burleigh
- The Light - Glenn Burleigh
- Anticipation - V. Michael McKay
Created in 1991, Essence of Joy sings sacred and secular music from the African and African American choral traditions. Annual University Park events include fall and spring concerts, as well as the "African American Music Festival" (February) and "Our Gift in Song" (December). The choir also regularly collaborates with other Penn State ensembles, including a performance of the Leonard Bernstein Mass in 2013. Involving undergraduate and graduate students from all academic programs at Penn State, Essence of Joy has performed throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, Ohio, and Illinois. The choir has been invited to perform for conferences of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (1995, 1997, 2003), the eastern division of the Music Educators National Conference (1997), the eastern division of the American Choral Directors Association (2002, 2006, 2014), the national American Choral Directors Association (1999, 2003, 2005, 2011), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (2000). In addition, they have presented concerts at the Schomburg Museum of Black American Culture in New York City (1998, 1999, 2001). The choir has released four compact discs: "The Soul and Spirit of Essence" (1998), "Essence 'Live'" (2000), "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and "The Light" (2003). The choir made its first European tour in 2001 with concert performances in Poland and the Czech Republic. Recent tours have taken Essence of Joy members to South Africa, Taiwan, Korea, Spain, and France.
The Essence of Joy Alumni Singers were launched in 2005. The choir represents alumni members from Essence of Joy and maintains an active performance schedule within the northeastern region of the United States. International travel by EOJAS has included events in Belgium, Luxemborg, France, US Virgin Islands, South Korea and South Africa. EOJAS is a non-profit organization and along with Essence 2 Ltd. provides financial support for the Mogoshi Elementary School, ga Matlala, South Africa.