News

Fisk Jubilee Singers scheduled to perform at Saint Meinrad

Saint Meinrad Institute for Sacred Music will host a concert by the Grammy-award winning Fisk Jubilee Singers on February 27, 2025, from 6:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Central Time in St. Bede Hall Theater.

Saint Meinrad Institute for Sacred Music, St. Meinrad, IN, will host a concert by the Grammy-award winning Fisk Jubilee Singers on February 27, 2025, from 6:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Central Time in St. Bede Hall Theater.

The free public concert is presented as part of the Sacred Music and Race in the American Church workshop led by Archbishop Shelton Fabre and Dr. Karen Shadle. The evening will begin with opening remarks by Archbishop Fabre and Dr. Shadle, followed by the concert. The program will conclude with open discussion and a Q&A with Archbishop Fabre and Dr. Shadle.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers are vocal artists and students at Fisk University in Nashville, TN, who sing and travel worldwide.

The original Fisk Jubilee Singers introduced “slave songs” to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals.

They broke racial barriers in the U.S. and abroad in the late 19th century and entertained kings and queens in Europe. At the same time, they raised money in support of their beloved school.

In 1999, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were featured in Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory, a PBS award-winning television documentary series, produced by WGBH/Boston.

In July 2007, the Fisk Jubilee Singers journeyed to Ghana at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy to celebrate the nation’s Golden Jubilee of 50 years of independence.

In 2008, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were selected as a recipient of the 2008 National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artists and patrons of the arts. The award was presented by President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush, during a ceremony at the White House.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers continue the tradition of singing the Negro spiritual around the world. This allows the ensemble to share this rich culture globally, while preserving this unique music.

The Most Reverend Shelton J. Fabre is the Archbishop of Louisville, KY, and former chair of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism. Dr. Karen Shadle is a musicologist and Director of the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese of Louisville.

The concert is free, open to the public, and no registration is required. Parking is available in the Guest House and student parking lots. For more information on the concert or workshop, contact Bella Thompson during business hours at 812-357-6336 or ithompson@saintmeinrad.edu. For updates on the day of the performance, call 812-357-6611.