Dialogue

Carrying the spirit: The power of Black sacred music

Arielle Raveney, Zainab Qureshi and Kennedy Vincent
 

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"The music, although beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, also serves the people." — Dr. Ollie Watts Davis

In this episode, the Dialogue team traces the evolution of Black sacred music. From spirituals to hymns and gospel, these traditions of the past continue, sometimes without the realization that we are carrying the legacy of our ancestors' history.

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GUESTS: 

Reginald Payne

  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign alum
  • Pursuing Master of Arts in Religion and Music at Yale Divinity School 
  • Conductor, scholar, and director for the Yale Black Seminarians Gospel Choir

Dr. Ollie Watts Davis 

  • Suzanne and William Allen Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Founder and Director - Black Sacred Music Symposium
  • Associate Dean in the School of Music

Quandra Clark 

  • Principal accompanist 
  • Assistant Director of the University of Illinois Black Chorus
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alum 
  • Co-founder of the Well Experience