In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument

Gospel Choral Arrangers

Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 items.

Stacey V. Gibbs

Stacey V. Gibbs has many arrangements of spirituals in print. Highly acclaimed for his expertise in bringing new vitality and excitement to these beloved pieces, they have reached a wide range of choirs both internationally and in the U.S. where they have been featured in numerous festivals, celebrations, and competitions as well as at ACDA regional and National Conferences. Stacey resides in Detroit, Michigan.

Jester Hairston

Actor, Musician. An arranger, composer, traveling choir leader, actor and story teller, his career took him all over the world. Best remebered for his TV role as Rolly Forbes on the TV show "Amen." The grandson of slaves, he was born in 1901 in Belews Creek, North Carolina. A star athlete in high school and college, he graduated as a Cum Laude music major from Tufts University and then furthered his studies at Julliard School of Music in New York.

In 1936 he came to Hollywood with Hall Johnson to help with arranging the chorous music for "Green Pastures." In 1937 he became a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. In 1943 he formed his own choir and arranged the choral background music for many of Hollywood's outstanding films, among them "Carmen Jones." As an actor he played a number of character roles on television and motion pictures. He played on "Amos and Andy" for 15 years and also played 'Wildcat' on the 1970s TV show "That's My Mama." He died in Los Angeles one year before reaching his 100th birthday.

Moses Hogan

Moses George Hogan, born in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 13, 1957, was a pianist, conductor and arranger of international renown. A graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, he also studied at New York's Juilliard School of Music and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Mr. Hogan's many accomplishments as a concert pianist included winning first place in the prestigious 28th annual Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition in New York. Hogan was recently appointed Artist In Residence at Loyola University in New Orleans. Hogan began his exploration of the choral music idiom in 1980. Hogan's former New Orleans based Moses Hogan Chorale received international acclaim.

Hall Johnson

Composer, author, conductor and arranger, educated at the Knox Institute, Atlanta University, Allen University, USC, the Hahn School of Music, the University of Pennsylvania and the New York Institute of Musical Art. He also studied with Percy Goetschius and was awarded an Honorary Music Degree from the Philadelphia Musical Academy. In 1925, he formed the Hall Johnson Choir, appearing in concerts, films, theater, radio, television and recordings. He arranged and directed the music for the Broadway production of "Green Pastures" (in which his choir appeared), and wrote the Broadway stage score for "Run, Little Chillun". In 1936, he organized the Festival Negro Chorus of Los Angeles, and appeared in the International Festival of Fine Arts in Berlin. In 1951, he toured Germany and Vienna through the auspices of the US State Department, and won the New York City Citation in 1962. He was also a member of the New York City Citizens Advisory Commission for Cultural Affairs.

Albert McNeil

Albert McNeil was 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.