HISTORY OF THE
PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGIATE CHOIR
Little Rock, Arkansas
The earliest records documenting the exact beginning of the Philander Smith Collegiate Choir are not known. However, available information suggests that around 1890, Miss Nellie A. James organized a small group of students born to ex-slaves. Miss James, a Methodist missionary, was one of many who traveled from the North and Northwest to dedicate one to two years to educate Negroes in the South. Such short missionary tenures over the forty-year period to follow made it impossible to determine an accurate chronological listing of all choral directors.
During the early years, the choral ensemble was called the "Sextet" which included a soprano, an alto, two tenors, one baritone and one bass. These singers traveled for months across the country, singing mostly to White Methodist congregations for raising money for their college. The solo and ensemble musical selections were received with much enthusiasm but the choral concerts often featured songs from the male quartet. The students lodged in the homes of their patrons and they returned to the campus when the fund-raising season ended, to prepare music for the next season. It is a fact that for many years, the economic stability of the Philander Smith Elementary, Preparatory, and College systems depended heavily on the funds raised by these singers.
In 1934, the Philander Smith College Choir reached a high level of prominence under the direction of Ruth Helen Gillum. An accomplished musician from St. Louis, Gillum was a graduate of the University of Kansas. After a short term as the music department head at Prairie View State College, she came to Philander Smith College. Her sense of structure and discipline led the choir to national respectability while she also gained personal recognition as a composer-arranger. Her most popular and published folk arrangements and compositions include "There's No Hiding Place" (arranged for the Philander Smith College Choir), "Roll Jordan Roll," and "Choric Dance." It was during her tenure that the choir had the distinct honor of performing on stage with prima donna Marian Anderson and Wings Over Jordan Choir of CBS radio.
While Miss Gillum was nurturing a national reputation for the choir, the Sextet continued its great tradition as the major fund raiser for the college. Eloise H. White served as director of the sextet during the early-to-mid-1940's. Myrtle Roy Smith, who was an exceptional student accompanist with the Sextet, later succeeded White. Smith expanded the group to eight singers, the male quartet being the featured ensemble in their concerts. Dr. J. W. Snapp, field agent and organizer of the concert tours for many years, was partly responsible for the octet's success until his death in 1944.
From 1934 through 1969, the Philander Smith College Choir reached a series of performance plateaus that has been called "the glory years." With the acquisition of bus transportation, the choir magnified its popularity with concerts and appearances on radio and television programs throughout the nation. The choir received many performance invitations from state conventions, convocations, and inaugural ceremonies for the Governor of the State of Arkansas. It was also at this time that the choir went through several name changes as its directorship changed. "The College Choir" became "The College Singers," then, "The Vesper Choir" alternated with "The College Choir." For the final ten years of this successful 35-year period, the choir was under the direction of Carl Harris, Jr. He, like Myrtle Roy Smith, was a gifted student accompanist for the College Choir. Harris (now Ph.D.), from Kansas City, Missouri, ended an era begun by his home state colleague (Miss Gillum), and expanded a rich tradition of choirs. Harris organized annual concert tours that were successful in recruiting new students. In addition, these tours exposed Philander Smith College to other fine academic institutions such as Fisk and Atlanta Universities, Paine College, Northwestern and North Illinois Universities. For the very first time with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Harris presented Handel's Messiah on the Philander Smith College campus. The choir was also part of a mass choir in Dallas, Texas, which celebrated unification of the Methodist Church. Under Mr. Harris, the college choir finally settled to its present name, the Collegiate Choir.
The fifteen years that followed (1969-1984) was a difficult transitional period for Philander Smith College and especially for the Collegiate Choir. The College would inaugurate three presidents, and the choir would witness ten choral conductors. Although in the care of competent musicians, the Collegiate Choir would only occasionally show signs of its earlier brilliance.
In 1985, Stephen L. Hayes was appointed assistant professor of music and conductor of the Collegiate Choir. Hayes, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, began his teaching career at Philander Smith in the early 1970's. He returned as choral director with a mandate from the college president to "build a great choir." Four months after this directive was issued, the Collegiate Choir embarked upon its first California concert tour in more than seventy years.
In 1989, the Philander Smith Collegiate Choir participated in the American Negro Spiritual Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio. This event is the only one of its kind in the country to place four of the nation's top historically Black college choirs in competition for a trophy and cash award. The Collegiate Choir received the third place "Hardy Trophy" behind South Carolina State College (first place) and Tuskegee University (second place). North Carolina A & T State University won fourth place.
The 1990-91 academic school year celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Collegiate Choir. To help commemorate this milestone, a series of cultural activities was presented, including: 1) an organ recital at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church (the campus church which was the foundation of Philander Smith College) featuring Anthony E. Williams (Professor of Music, Dillard University); 2) a symposium and choral festival honoring two of Philander Smith's former conductors, Miss Ruth Helen Gillum and Dr. Carl G. Harris, Jr.; and 3) a concert by the Collegiate Choir along with the Savannah State College Concert Choir. However, the highlight activity of the year brought together for the first time in history the Fisk Jubilee Singers and the Tuskegee University Choir in concert with the Philander Smith Collegiate Choir at Music Hall in downtown Little Rock. Through a grant, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra was secured and composer-arranger, actor, Jester Hairston ("Amen") served as special guest conductor of the massed choirs. Commemorative citations and proclamations were issued by the United States Senate, the Governor of the State of Arkansas, the Office of the Secretary of State and the Mayor of the City of Little Rock.
The Philander Smith Collegiate Choir received several honors and sang for many notable personalities including Earl G. Graves, Shirley Chisholm, Angela Davis, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Daisy Bates, U.S. Senators Lloyd Bentsen, Dale Bumpers and David Pryor; Governor Bill Clinton, diva Grace Bumbry and Martin Luther King, III. During its California tour, the choir appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show. They also received a citation from the mayor of the City of Compton, California declaring "Philander Smith College Day." Additionally, they received a citation from the Governor of "Historically Black College Week" and participated in the 1989 Billy Graham Crusade. Under Stephen Hayes' direction, the choir also sang with recording artists such as Foreigner, Bobby Jones, Keith Pringle and folk singer Jane Sapp.
Among the most notable accomplishments of the choir came in 1992-93. In the Spring of 1992, the Collegiate Choir won first place in the American Negro Spiritual Festival. Later that year they were invited to sing at the Democratic National Convention in New York City. Once elected as President of the United States, Bill Clinton of Arkansas requested that the Philander Smith Collegiate Choir sing at his Inauguration. The choir performed "City on the Hill" by African American composer, Dr. Marvin V. Curtis. Singing "Amazing Grace" with Judy Collins, the choir also sang at the Inaugural Gala.
In 1993, Dr. William C. Powell assumed the position of director of choral activities, assisted by his wife, Dr. Rosephanye Powell. She also currently serves as associate professor of music and head of the music department at Philander Smith College. Since their tenure, the choir has shared the stage with Michael Bolton, Barry Manilow, Lou Rawls, and James Earl Jones.
The Collegiate Choir produced and released an audio cassette recording in 1995 entitled, "We Shall Overcome," featuring compositions and arrangements by Rosephanye and William Powell. One of those songs composed by Rosephanye Powell, "The Word Was God" has gained international recognition as one of her first and most popular published works. The recording also includes the PSC Alma Mater and arrangements by Hall Johnson, William Henry Smith, and others. It was the first such production effort for the choir since Dr. David Walker produced "The Gift of Song" album in 1985.
Other recordings by the Philander Smith Collegiate Choir include, "Black Expressions in Music" and "Happy Holidays," both of which were released in Fall 1997. "Black Expressions" includes anthems, gospel, spirituals, blues, Caribbean, and Christmas songs. "Happy Holidays" is a collection of music for the Christmas season. Another recording project is scheduled for release in Spring 2000.
In February 1996, the choir sang at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. This performance was part of the "State Days at the Kennedy Center" series wherein the Senior Senator (Dale Bumpers, Arkansas) from each state invited a performer to represent his state. Special features of this concert included dance and dramatic presentations, as well as blues, Caribbean music, and several selections from the "We Shall Overcome" recording. Also, in March 1996, the Collegiate Choir sang at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.
The Collegiate Choir is continuing to make musical contributions to our culture. Presenting a repertoire to audiences a broad spectrum of artistic styles, the choir performs works by African American composers and traditional Western European choral music. Students who sing in the Philander Smith Collegiate Choir enjoy exposure to a wide variety of music and musical experiences. Whether performing Verdi's Requiem or South African "songs of protest and praise," singing in the Collegiate Choir illustrates that Philander Smith College is
"a special place to be."