MAY 2014

The opportunity for

brotherhood

presents itself every

time you meet a

human being. Jane Wyman

You cannot see

brotherhood; neither

can you hear or

taste it, but you can

feel it a hundred

times a day. Peter Terzick

1

After making a spectacular performance at the Intercollegiate Men’s

Chorus (IMC) Conference at Rutgers University, the Morehouse College Glee Club

began to hit the road, which commenced their annual spring tour. Tour stops this year

included New York City, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.,

Pennsylvania, Columbus, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee, and Chicago.

From the beautiful Old South Church in Boston to the large Harris Theatre

in Chicago, each venue received a unique, yet remarkable performance from the

glee club, touching audiences in an unforgettable way. “As a senior I felt that I should

take a step back and offer words of wisdom on tour and not necessarily try to be the

one in the mix. Passing the torch is one of the hardest things to do especially when

you are passionate about the organization, “ stated Terrance Buck ‘14, Tenor.

New touring member Jordan Gleaves ’15, Bass, also stated, “I enjoyed the

benefits that came from spring tour; traveling to states I’ve never visited, building my

network, and getting to know my brothers on a stronger level.” Whether it be on tour

or a local performance, you can rest assure that the Morehouse College Glee Club

will always deliver an extraordinary performance.

Photo: MCGC members walking to the Harris Theater in Chicago, IL for the last concert of tour. 2

MCGC members attending an IMC 2014

concert Dr. David Morrow giving a lecture on African

American music at IMC 2014

MCGC performing in the final concert series

of IMC 2014

MCGC performing Vocalise at First Corinhian

Baptist Church in Harlem NY

MCGC poses with Flat Stanley at Rutgers

University

MCGC performing Betelehemu in Harlem, NY

MCGC rehearsing at Mt. Calvary Baptist

Church in Newark, NJ.

MCGC members eating dinner at the Old

South Church in Boston, MA.

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Photo Credit: DeRonn Kidd

Photo Credit: DeRonn Kidd

Elijah McDavid and Jelani

Watkins ‘15, Bass rehearse My

Strength and My Song on piano

MCGC performing at the Old South Church

Boston, MA Jelani Watkins ‘15, Bass in

Monumental Baptist Church in

Philadelphia’ PA

MCGC performing MLK Memorial

Library in Washington, DC

MCGC performing iat Shiloh Baptist Church

in Washington, DC

MCGC Alumnus from

1950s speaking to

current members on the

bus

Daniel McRath, ‘16, Tenor II,

Aaron Spain-Bey ‘16, Tenor II,

Clarence Wilson III ‘14, Baritone

in DC

Dr. Morrow oversees rehearsal

on My Strength and My Song

on piano

Tamir Mickens ‘14, Bass, Chris

Sumlin ‘16, Tenor I, Xavier Durden

‘14, Tenor I in Columbus, OH

MCGC eating dinner with members of the

DC Boys Choir

Dr. Morrow rehearses the MCGC and an

Honor Choir in York, PA

MCGC rehearses

at the Harris

Theater in

Chicago, IL

MCGC basses in Chicago, IL

4

…that's one of the great

feelings - to stop being me for

a little while and to become

us. From that comes the great

social virtue, empathy.”

–Brian Eno

“When you sing with a group

of people, you learn how to

subsume yourself into a group

consciousness because group

singing is all about the

immersion of the self into the

community

5

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As commencement nears, the Morehouse College Glee Club bids

farewell to the members of the graduating class of 2014: Tyler Alexander, Elijah Bell-

Clarke, Terrance Buck, Rodney Davis, Xavier Durden, Cazembe Kennedy, Jamal

Lewis, James Lockhart, Tamir Mickens, Bruce Purvis Jr., Ardis Tate, and Clarence

Wilson. This year’s senior class of the Morehouse College Glee Club is distinguished

with unprecedented experiences and accomplishments. “We pride ourselves on

being ‘new members’ the longest,” Terrance Buck said, during the Senior Banquet.

Having been new members for 13 months as freshmen, they had the privilege of

touring internationally to countries such as Puerto Rico and Canada. Additionally, as

members of the MCGC centennial class, they performed in the Avery Fisher Hall,

Lincoln Center to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Glee Club in 2011.

A Farewell to the

Unless commitment is

made, there are only

promises and hopes... but

no plans. David Trucker

7

Not all of the class of 2014 started their journey in the Glee Club

together. “I joined the Glee Club during my Sophomore year, but the other

members in my graduating class welcomed me right in. I still share the bond of

entering Morehouse College with them, which cannot be taken away” said Tamir

Mickens. The class of 2014 also has members that transferred into Morehouse from

other colleges and universities in the fall of 2011.

As most seniors recollect, though both nationally and internationally

traveled, the most significant impacts the Glee Club have made were within its

brotherhood. “When you’re homeless and don’t have a place to stay, and

someone welcomes you into their home,” Clarence Wilson recalled. “That’s

brotherhood.”

After Wilson’s speech, it was a challenge to find a dry eye in the Shirley

A. Massey Executive Conference Center’s banquet hall. Moments earlier audience

members were charged by graduating senior Jamal Lewis. “Love each other!”

Jamal Lewis said, reiterating a fundamental principle of MCGC. Charged by both

Lewis and Wilson’s senior speeches, we are challenged to embody the

fundamental principle of our unique brotherhood: love. Again, as we bid farewell,

we recognize that we will forever be “Brothers in Song” whose duty is love each

other through song, service, and support.

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MCGC Class of 2014 performing Trains a-Comin by Carlos Simon ‘08

at the Senior Day Crown Forum. Pictured L to R: Xavier Durden, Elijah

Bell-Clarke, Bruce Purvis, James Lockhart Rodney Davis Jr., Caembe

Kennedy (not pictured), Clarence Wilson III, and Tamir Mickens.

It's amazing to think about how fast a year can go by. Memories of April 2013 are still fresh in my mind. I remember setting the goals, dreams, and vision. I remember inheriting the hopes of those who had demonstrated how to lead. Life, like time, has come back full circle as I reflect on the wonderful year I have had being president of this beloved Morehouse College Glee Club. Indeed this year has been providentially challenging. Yet, we were able to navigate the God-given obstacles of losing a talented senior class, balancing personality types, adjusting to budget cuts, and learning difficult music. Together we had a plethora of successful concerts, increased our fundraising efforts, and grew as brothers. We've made our communication more efficient, we've exposed ourselves to new audiences, and we even have a new logo as we begin year 104. This year has been a blessing. Moving forward I wish all of the best to my successor and his administration. I hope that together this organization might create a long term vision. A vision not concerned with on campus perception or singing the songs that will fill churches and shout the people. I hope that our vision pushes us towards making the best musicians and the best men. For that is our purpose and our calling. Yesterday, today, and forever more. Sing on my brothers! Elijah L. McDavid, III ’15, Bass Religion Arlington, VA

Farewell A Letter from our

2013-2014 President Address

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10

I must say that it has been a tremendous

honor to serve as one of the 2013-2014

MCGC PR Managers. Representing and

promoting the glee club has been one of

the most rewarding duties as an officer.

From concert to concert, I never grew tired

of hearing the wonderful feedback from

satisfied audiences. Not to mention that it

has been an even greater privilege to

share the work with my PR partner Tamir

Mickens. Together we served as a great

team and were able to produce great sales

after each concert performance. This has

truly been a remarkable year serving for

the glee club and I am so grateful for the

opportunity.

God Bless! -

Trevor J. Queen ’16, Baritone Political Science Annapolis, MD

It has been my pleasure to serve this great

organization as one of the Public Relations

Managers for the past two school years. It

has enhanced my interpersonal skills,

creativity, and has given me a plethora of

memories to keep for a lifetime. The job

could not be done alone and I am thankful

for my co-officers James Lockhart and

Trevor Queen for all of their hard work. We

hope you enjoyed this edition of our

newsletter celebrating an exciting and

eventful year! Outside of managing sales,

providing better publicity this year was our

focus and we appreciate all of compliments

received. In the words of our Director, Dr.

David Morrow, "If you're not going to be

new, be improved.“

Thank you. -

Tamir Mickens ’14 Biology Decatur, GA 11

Where there is

, there is life.

Mahatma Gandhi

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Photo Credit: Bummah Ndeh ‘16, Tenor.