The Morehouse College Glee Club , founded in 1911, is the official choral group of Morehouse College . The Glee Club has a long tradition of many notable public appearances, having performed at Martin Luther King Jr. 's funeral, President Jimmy Carter 's inauguration, Super Bowl XXVIII , and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The Glee Club's international performances include tours in Africa (Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria), Russia , Poland and the Caribbean . The group also appeared on the soundtrack for the movie School Daze , directed by Morehouse alumnus Spike Lee (Class of 1979).
7-516: The Morehouse College Glee Club was founded in 1911, stemming from an established singing tradition at Morehouse. Small musical ensembles, including quartets, are attested at Morehouse as early as the 1870s. From 1903 to 1911, a choral ensemble and orchestra were directed by Georgia Starr, Lucy Z. Reynolds, and Grace D. Walesman. In 1911, upon joining the Morehouse faculty, founding director Kemper Harreld assumed directorship of both groups and founded
14-775: The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta Symphony Chorus under the direction of Robert Shaw in the 1998 television special Christmas with Robert Shaw . Since the mid-1920s, it's been tradition for the Glee Clubs from Morehouse College and Spelman College to collaborate for an annual Holidays concert in Atlanta every December. Notable alumni of the Morehouse College Glee Club include: Kemper Harreld William Kemper Harreld (January 31, 1885, Muncie, Indiana – 1971)
21-587: The Morehouse College Glee Club in 1911, and served as the organization's first director. He also founded the Spelman College Glee Club in 1925 and served as its first director. For a time, he served simultaneously as the chair of the music department of Spelman College as well as Morehouse. His students included Edmund Jenkins and Wendell P. Whalum . When Harreld retired in 1953, Whalum succeeded him as director of
28-523: The Morehouse College Glee Club , and Joyce Johnson succeeded him as Spelman College organist. Harreld died in the beginning of 1971 and his funeral was held on February 27. The glee club that he had established, and which achieved international acclaim, performed at his funeral. Harreld's music was recorded and distributed by the Pace Phonograph Company's Black Swan Records label. Kemper Harreld married poet Claudia Turner White,
35-593: The Glee Club. Harreld would go on to direct the Glee Club and head the Morehouse music department for 42 years. Under his direction, the Glee Club and Quartet performed at least three times for President Franklin D. Roosevelt . In 1953, Harreld's student Dr. Wendell Phillips Whalum assumed directorship of the group. Under Whalum's leadership, the group sang at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and performed at President Jimmy Carter's inauguration. Whalum led
42-546: The group on a tour of five African nations in 1972, visiting Senegal , Ghana , Uganda , Nigeria , and Ethiopia . In the fall of 1987, David E. Morrow, a student of Dr. Whalum, became director; under his leadership the group participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics closing ceremonies and sang at Super Bowl XXVIII. The Morehouse College Glee Club can be heard on the soundtracks to the Spike Lee films School Daze (1988) and Miracle at St. Anna (2008), and in performance with
49-408: Was an American concert violinist . He was also a pianist and organist . A graduate of Chicago Musical College , Harreld performed until 1911 when he became head of the music department at Atlanta Baptist College (now Morehouse College ). He intended to teach music at Morehouse for only one term, but served for 42 years as professor and chair of the music department. Harreld officially established
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