On Thursday, February 19, World House Choir singers will travel to Chillicothe Correctional Institution and join forces with the NIA Men’s Chorus in observation of Black History Month. It is the fourth consecutive year of this vibrant collaboration with NIA to celebrate Black music as resistance, remembrance, and collective hope.
This year, we are honored to welcome Mark Lomax II—drummer, composer, scholar, and activist—as keynote speaker for the program. Dr. Lomax with present “Rhythm: Optimizing our Groove.”
The NIA Men’s Chorus will perform works by African American composer Rosephanye Powell, emerging composers Carlos Brown and Reginald Wright, and an original piece by chorus member Eddie Robertson.
The World House Choir will offer works by African American composers and arrangers Bernice Johnson Reagon and Steve Milloy, and will sing the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” As in years past, the two choirs will join together for a rousing program finale.
It is an honor and a joy to sing with these men behind Ohio’s prison walls, It illuminates our shared humanity and brings artistic programming to an underserved community.