Voices of Imani

Voices of Imani is a student-based organization that is connected to the African and African Diaspora Studies Program. Membership in the organization is open to the entire BC student population and the group is quite diverse in its make-up. The group has toured various parts of the country during the spring break: Tennessee, Florida, Texas, California, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Georgia.

Go Down Moses is an African American spiritual that originated in the 1800鈥檚 during slavery, with the earliest written version found in 1853. Like many spirituals of that time, it was believed that this song was used to reference the Underground Railroad. Published by the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University in 1872, the song has various iterations, including a jazz version performed by Louis Armstrong in 1958.

History of Voices of Imani

The students chose the name Imani, the Swahili word for faith, as the name for their group. In choosing the name Imani, the students were recalling the lyrics of one of the great hymns of the black religious experience:

We've come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, trusting in His holy word, He's never failed us yet.
Fall of 1977

Voices of Imani is founded

At md传媒国产剧 College n the fall of the 1977 a small group of black students feeling the need to be closely connected in their new academic environment, congregated to encourage and support one another by singing the songs of their religious tradition and to give praise to almighty God.聽The repertoire of the group is reflective of this great faith tradition in that it includes the breadth of musical expression in the black worship experience, i.e., spirituals, traditional gospel, contemporary gospel, as well as music of the European tradition.

Fall of 1982

Professor Hubert E. Walters becomes Director of Voices of Imani

In the fall of 1982 Prof. Hubert E. Walters was appointed as lecturer in African and African Diaspora Studies and Music at md传媒国产剧 College, and was asked to be the musical director for the Voices of Imani. Professor Walters served as musical director until the spring of 2010.

2010

Chauncey McGlathery named Director of Voices of Imani


Director

Shannon Jacob

Shannon Jacob

Director of Voices of Imani



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Shannon Jacob

Shannon Jacob

Director of Voices of Imani

Shannon Jacob received her Bachelor of Music Degree from Berklee College of Music in Contemporary Writing and Production. She hails form the island of Sri Lanka, where she is known for her work as a Music Director and Performer; especially with her show choir Music.inc. Her most recent original work for Sri Lanka includes a choral original performed by the Chapel Choir of S.Thomas College Mount Lavinia, A jazz piece for the Combined Theater Company, and a programme music piece "Achran" composed for the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka. She is a regular pianist at Park Street Church md传媒国产剧 where she also directs the Evening Children's Choir. She has been a part of writing teams in md传媒国产剧 for international artists Joyce Moreno and Color Violeta, and continues her work as a composer and producer through various freelance projects. For more information, please visit Shannon Jacob's聽,听, and聽听辫谤辞蹿颈濒别蝉.