News
New Artists-in-Residence for the Music and the Black Church Program
April 19
In the coming school year, Yale Divinity and ISM students will have the opportunity to be coached in voice, keyboard, and percussion by three new artists-in-residence who are coming to Yale as part of ISM’s Interdisciplinary Program in Music and the Black Church. As well as offering individual coaching, Tyson Jackson, John Paul McGee and Trineice Robinson-Martin will also participate in regular studio classes to help the students hone their skills for the leadership of congregational song. Read more.
An Evening with the Legendary Clark Sisters
April 14, 2023
On April 14, Yale Institute of Sacred Music was thrilled to host the legendary Clark Sisters for a concert, symposium, and masterclass. The sold-out concert in College Street Music Hall was attended by 1500 members of the Yale and New Haven communities, while twelve thousand more joined via livestream. The evening featured an organ set from Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark and a surprise appearance by gospel megastar Kierra Sheard, the daughter of Karen Clark Sheard. A community choir drawn from the New Haven area joined the Clark Sisters for part of the concert. Watch the concert recording here and view a photo slideshow.
“A Celebration of Gospel” with Donald Lawrence and Vincent Bohanan
November 22, 2022
On November 17, Donald Lawrence and Vincent Bohanan performed to a packed house at the Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church in New Haven alongside a community choir drawn from the New Haven area. View a slideshow.
Braxton Shelley honored with four book awards
November 16, 2022
Professor Braxton Shelley has received four awards for his book, Healing for the Soul: Richard Smallwood, the Vamp, and the Gospel Imagination (Oxford University Press, 2021). The awards were announced at a gathering in New Orleans in November of three of the largest North American organizations of music scholars—the American Musicological Society, the Society for Music Theory and the Society for Ethnomusicology. Read full story.
Pathbreaking books about Black music win major honors for Brooks and Shelley
Yale News, November 16, 2022
Yale faculty members Daphne Brooks and Braxton Shelley recently won top prizes from professional musical societies for their groundbreaking music scholarship. Read full story.
Inaugural newsletter for the Music and the Black Church Program
November 14, 2022
The Institute of Sacred Music is delighted to announce the inaugural e-newsletter for the Music and the Black Church program. Appearing three times a year, it will share program and event highlights that bring together scholars, practitioners, and students of Black sacred music at Yale. Read more.
Preserving the Voices of Black Gospel Musicians
November 11, 2022
Since Professor Braxton Shelley’s appointment to the ISM and Yale School of Music in July 2021, he has been collaborating with Libby Van Cleve, director of Yale Library’s Oral History of American Music (OHAM) collection to establish a series of one-on-one interviews with leaders in gospel music. This project, which is part of the Interdisciplinary Program in Music and the Black Church (link sends e-mail), is helping to preserve the voices of key Black musicians. Over the last year, the collaboration has already borne much fruit. Read full story.
ISM to welcome Donald Lawrence and Vincent Bohanan for “A Celebration of Gospel”
November 10, 2022
On Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. the Institute of Sacred Music is sponsoring “A Celebration of Gospel”, an evening of music that spans generations and unites multiple threads of the rich tapestry that is black gospel music. Well-known gospel musicians, Donald Lawrence and Vincent Bohanan, will perform with their ensembles alongside a community choir comprising singers from New Haven and surrounding areas. Read more.