The CSO Spiritual Ensemble, with Nathan L. Nelson, music director, announces its inaugural performance in Tryon with the thrice sold-out Charleston concert entitled “Circa 1871: Ode to the Fisk Jubilee Singers” on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at Tryon Fine Arts Center.  This is the first of the Center’s Main Stage Series, supported by TD Bank.
Now in its third year, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Spiritual Ensemble is a 35-member ensemble that honors the spiritual, the historical musical form born of the suffering and endurance of African slaves after arriving to the southern shores of this country.
This performance will pay tribute to the “Fisk Jubilee Singers,” the African-American a cappella ensemble first organized in 1871 with students from Fisk University, an historically black college in Nashville, Tenn. formed at the end of the American Civil War to educate freed slaves and other young African-Americans. The 140 year-old-group still sings and travels worldwide performing the African-American (‘Negro’) spiritual.
“This performance promises to shine light on the illustrious history and musical story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers’ contribution to the American experience. The CSO Spiritual Ensemble is excited to bring this moving tribute to Tryon area audiences to showcase this national treasure,” said CSO Spiritual Ensemble President and Founder, Lee Pringle.
The CSO Spiritual Ensemble is presented with additional support from the N.C. Arts Council and the Kirby Endowment Fund. Tickets for the event are available at the TFAC box office, open Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. For more information, please call 828-859-8322 or visit tryonarts.org.
– article submitted by Marianne Carruth