APSU Choir Fest to feature world premiere of new spiritual composition
By: Dr. Korre Foster October 2, 2024
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s Department of Music, with support from the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, will celebrate Choir Fest 2024 with a free concert at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, in the Mabry Concert Hall.
The performance will include the debut of a newly commissioned arrangement of My Lord, What a Morning! by prolific composer Stacey V. Gibbs. APSU choirs will be joined in the performance by the choirs of Volunteer State Community College and Mt. Juliet High School.
“I selected this pairing of sorrow songs because I felt they conveyed the struggle of a people while simultaneously offering hope for a promising tomorrow,” Gibbs said of the process behind his latest work.
Best known for his arrangements of spirituals, Gibbs is highly acclaimed for his ability to infuse new energy into familiar works without sacrificing their authenticity or power. His setting of Way Over in Beulah Lan' made the national stage when it was performed at the inauguration ceremony for President Barack Obama’s second term.
More recently, Gibbs was commissioned by the King’s Singers (UK) Global Foundation to create four new arrangements for their recording and world tour. His work, My Home, debuted at Carnegie Hall in February 2020, followed by From Agony to Glory: The Spiritual in 2021. This year, the professional choir Chanticleer will perform Gibbs’ Without a Song at Austin Peay during their Clarksville Community Concert Association concert in January 2025.
About the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts
Since 1985, the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts has been providing students, the Clarksville community, and the Middle Tennessee region with engaging experiences through the Art + Design, Music, Theatre & Dance, and Creative Writing programs at APSU. To learn more about Choir Fest and the Department of Music’s choir performances and events, contact Dr. Korre Foster at fosterk@apsu.edu.
About Choir Fest
Each year, the APSU Department of Music organizes an event open to middle and high school singers from Tennessee and Kentucky. Participants spend the day rehearsing with guest clinicians and APSU faculty, culminating in an afternoon concert. Choir Fest features performances by the Choral Union and the APSU Choirs. Visit apsu.edu/music for a full list of events hosted by the APSU Department of Music.