OPERAPRESS RELEASE

OPERADELAWARE
Julie W. Van Blarcom, Executive Director
Leland P. Kimball III, General Director

Telephone: (302) 658-8063, ext. 3159 Fax: (302) 658-4991
Box Office: The Grand Opera House, 1-800-37-GRAND
Post Office Box 432, Wilmington, DE 19801-0432

Contact: Cindy Frankey
e-mail: cindyf@desymphony.org


OPERADELAWARE, THE DELAWARE SYMPHONY AND THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE PRESENT MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY CHOIR Special Event Celebrates Black History Month

WILMINGTON, DE - February 12, 2002 - The Morgan State University Choir will perform with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra for one evening at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 at 7:30 PM. Conducted by Nathan Carter, the program will include a variety of spiritual hymns and patriotic songs. Ticket prices are $33-$38 and are available online at www.grandopera.org or by calling The Grand box office at 800-37-GRAND. Proceeds from the performance will go to the Morgan State University scholarship fund.

Morgan State University is one of the country's leading Historical Black Colleges, and the Choir is one of the most prestigious university choir ensembles. They have performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Led for the past 29 years by acclaimed conductor Nathan Carter, the Choir's repertoire spans several centuries and includes classical, gospel and contemporary popular music. The Choir is also noted for its emphasis on preserving the heritage of the spiritual, especially in the historic practices of performance.

A native of Selma, Alabama, Nathan Carter is currently Director of the Morgan State University Choir. He is also Morgan State University's Chairperson of the Department of Fine Arts, and Director of the Performing Arts Series. He is a graduate of the Hampton Institute, the Julliard School of Music, and the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Prior to Dr. Carter's joining the faculty of Morgan State University in 1970, he was the Choral Director and Chairperson of the Division of Music at Knoxville College, where his superior choirs were famed for their tours throughout the United States.

Dr. Carter's presence was immediately felt when he came to Morgan State University, where in short order his choir became known as one of the nation's most prestigious choral ensembles. In 1974, Dr. Carter led the Morgan State University Choir in its first European tour, traveling to Helsinki, Leningrad, Copenhagen, and London. In 1992, the choir toured to Bonn, Germany for the International Beethoven Festival. He has toured with the choir throughout the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Bahamas and Canada as well as command performances at the White House and the Kennedy Center.

The choir has appeared numerous times at New York's Carnegie Hall, the last of which was March 1995 with the American Composer's Orchestra performing John Corigliano's "Poem On His Birthday."

The concert is sponsored by The Delaware Chapter of the Morgan State University Alumni, MBNA Foundation, and the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.


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