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Albert McNeil

Arranger

Albert McNeil

Albert McNeil is a native Californian -- born in Los Angeles. He earned Bachelors and Masters degrees at the University of California, Los Angeles, and did his doctoral studies at the University of Southern California, the Westminster Choir College of Princeton, and the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. He is presently Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Southern California at Davis, where he was Director of choral activities for 21 years and headed the Music Education Program. He taught courses in ethnomusicology at the University of Southern California for 12 years. In 1991, he was honored by his alma mater, UCLA, as Alumnus of the Year in the area of Professional Excellence.

The McNeil Jubilee Singers ensemble is his creation, and he has dedicated himself to upholding a choral tradition of excellence with the presentation of the concert spiritual and the ever-increasing contributions of African American Composers of Concert Music, Opera, and theatre music. Under his direction, the group, now in its 36th year, has performed in 70 countries, including Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, and North and West Africa. During the summer of 1997 they completed their third tour of South America after numerous transcontinental tours of the U.S., Hawaii, and Canada.

In addition to his work at the University and conducting the Jubilee Singers, Professor McNeil has been an author and editor on a series of music education textbooks for Silver-Burdett-Ginn Publishing Company. He co-authored an educational packet for Bowman Publishing Company as well. His arrangements can be found in the Gentry and Lawson-Gould catalogues.

He was formerly director of the choir at the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship. Presently, he is director of Music at the Founder's Church of Religious Science. He is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician and is often invited to conduct "honor choirs" throughout the United States and abroad. In January 1993, he was a Headliner at the Eleventh Annual Federation for Choral Music in Seoul, Korea, and in August, 1993, he presented the sessions on African-American Spirituals and Art Songs at the World Symposium on Choral Music in Vancouver B.C. He repeated similar sessions with his Jubilee Singers in Rotterdam in July, 1999. In July 1994, he was Guest Conductor at the DeKalb International Choral Festival held at Stone Mountain, Georgia. In 1995, he conducted the World Youth Choir in their 1995 tour of Canada and North America and in November of 1995 he was appointed vocal director/conductor of the 40th Annual Christmas Candlelight Procession at Disneyland. In August of 1996, he and his Jubilee Singers were among the five choirs appearing at the International Choral Festival in Taipei, Taiwan. He returned with his Jubilee Singers in July, 2000, as Lecturer and Conductor. He is Guest-Conductor on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's "Anthology of Negro Spirituals" a CD released in January 1997. January, 1998, the Singers made their first tour of the Hawaiian Islands, with special performances with the Honolulu Symphony of the concert version of "Porgy and Bess" and a command performance in the recently renovated Hawaii Theatre. He followed this engagement with sessions as Guest Director and Lecturer with the Canadian Choral Conductors in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A year later, January, 1999, McNeil made his debut in Carnegie Hall with the Jubilee Singers and choruses from Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. McNeil's guest conducting assignments during 1999-2000 included the Holland Festival (Michigan), the Heartland Chamber Ensemble (Ft. Wayne, Indiana), as headliner before the Choral Conductor's Guild-Convention 2000 (Pasadena) (Association of Church Musicians), and the Schola Cantorum (Palo Alto). Among his many awards: Alumnus of the Year for Professional Excellence presented by his alma mater, UCLA; the Michael Korn Award for distinguished conducting (Chorus America--Association of Professional Ensembles).

Professor McNeil is on the boards of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Neighborhood Music School. He is a life member of the American Choral Directors Association.

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Songbooks and Collections (See Individual Arrangements)

Displaying 1-3 of 3 items.


Albert McNeil : Al McNeil Spirituals : SATB : Sheet Music : 

Albert McNeil : Al McNeil Spirituals

Review: Treat yourself to seven, rousing spirituals by Albert McNeil, who is well-known to the national choral community, having been honored on four occasions with "Command Performances" before the prestigious American Choral Directors Association in 1981 in New Orleans, in 1985 at their Salt Lake City Convention, at their 1997 convention in San Diego, California, and most recently in February, 2000, at Los Angeles during the ACDA Western Division Convention held on the campus of Loyola-Marymount University.

Songlist: Hold Out Your Light, He's Got the Whole World, Open the Window, Noah, John, The Revelator, My Long White Robe, All My Trials

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3336b | Sheet Music $8.40 | SATB add item to cart Spirituals Arrangements for Mixed Voices


Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers : Best of Jubilee Vol 2 : 1 CD : 

Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers : Best of Jubilee Vol 2

Review: The 21 mixed-voice singers of Director Albert McNeil sing the powerful, emotion-packed spirituals that have been sung, recorded, rearranged and interpreted, and re-recorded for over 150 years. In these14 songs we have a mixture of the simplicity and complexity of arrangements by Moses Hogan, Jester Hairston, Lena McLinn and Albert McNeil, to the unique settings of young composers and arrangers like Stacey Gibbs, Richard Jackson and Augustus O. Hill. Undine Smith Moore's "Lord We Give Thanks to Thee" was written as a tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the founding of Fisk University's original Jubilee Singers. Hogan's "Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit," Hill's "Fix Me Jesus," McLinn's "Lit'le Lamb, Lit'le Lamb," Gibbs' "Somebody's Knockin' At Yo' Do'" and "See Dat Babe," McNeil's dynamic "John the Revelator" and Hairston's joyous "Wonderful Counselor" are particularly fine. Authentic, timeless music sung with passion and fire by one of the great Gospel ensembles!

Songlist: Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit, Fix me, Jesus, The Word Was God, I Will Arise And Go To Jesus, Lit'le Lamb, Lit'le Lamb, I Know I've Been Changed, Lord, We Give Thanks To Thee, Somebody's Knockin' On Yo' Do', This Little Light Of Mine, John, The Revelator, My Long White Robe, See Datee Babe, Lit'l Boy, Wonderful Counselor

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3054c | 1 CD $14.98 add item to cart Gospel Group Harmony CDs


Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers : The Best Of Jubilee

Review: An LA-born native Californian, Albert McNeil earned Bachelors and Masters degrees at UCLA and did his doctorate studies at USC, the Westminster Choir College of Princeton and the Univ. of Lausanne, Switzerland. He has been conducting groups and church choirs for most of his adult life, and has dedicated himself to upholding a tradition of choral excellence as Founder/Director of the McNeil Jubilee Singers in 1968. Since then the Singers have earned international acclaim for their vast repertoire of African-American folk music, focusing on the rich genre known as Negro Spirituals as well as gospel, secular folk songs, calypsos and other African-Caribbean and African vocal forms. Their repertory also consists of concert works by distinguished African-American composers and arrangers along with Classical Opera, Sacred Music and Musical Theater. The 15 selections in "Best of Jubilee" draw on the best performances of one of the most honored choral ensembles. It's understandably hard to pick favorites, but the South African freedom song "Siyahamba'ekukhanuen'kwenkhos" (We are marching in the light of God), "Glory, Glory Hallelujah," "Open the Window, Noah," "Hallelujah! (Been Down Into The Sea)," "Oh, Mary Don't You Weep," "Oh Make Me Holy," "All My Trials," "Walk Together Children" and "Rocka My Soul" are particularly fine. Inspirational and moving songs, every one the best of the best!

Songlist: Siyahamba'ekukhanyet'kwenkhos, Dry Bones, Glory, Glory Hallelujah, Open The Window Noah, He's Got The Whole World In His Hands, Hallelujah! (Been Down Into The Sea), Sometimes I feel Like A Motherless Child, Oh Mary Don't You Weep, Jesus Lay Your Head in da Winder, The Word Was God, Oh Make Me Holy, All My Trials, Walk Together Children, John the Revelator, Rocka My Soul

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2893c | 1 CD $14.98 add item to cart Gospel Group Harmony CDs

Individual Arrangements (See Songbooks and Collections)

Displaying 1-6 of 6 items.

Song NameArrangerComposerArtistItem TitleFormatTrax
All My TrialsAlbert McNeilAlbert McNeilAl McNeil SpiritualsSheet Music (SATB)MORE DETAILS 
He's Got the Whole WorldAlbert McNeilAlbert McNeilAl McNeil SpiritualsSheet Music (SATB)MORE DETAILS 
Hold Out Your LightAlbert McNeilAlbert McNeilAl McNeil SpiritualsSheet Music (SATB)MORE DETAILS 
John, The RevelatorAlbert McNeilAlbert McNeilAl McNeil SpiritualsSheet Music (SATB)MORE DETAILS 
My Long White RobeAlbert McNeilAlbert McNeilAl McNeil SpiritualsSheet Music (SATB)MORE DETAILS 
Open the Window, NoahAlbert McNeilAlbert McNeilAl McNeil SpiritualsSheet Music (SATB)MORE DETAILS 

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