Essence of Joy will present its annual Homecoming performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, in Esber Recital Hall on the University Park campus of Penn State. Parts of the program will also feature the Essence of Joy Alumni Singers. “Anniversaries – 25/10” is the theme for the concert, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of Essence of Joy and the 10th anniversary of the Essence of Joy Alumni Singers.
The program is highlighted by the world premiere of “The Dawn Awakes” by Essence of Joy alumnus Mark Lehnowsky. Based on poetry of Harlem Renaissance poet Otto Leland Bohanan, the composition is dedicated to Essence of Joy and the Essence of Joy Alumni Singers. Both choirs are conducted by Anthony Leach.
Tickets are general admission $4.99/students $2. No advance purchase available. Ticket sale begins 45 minutes prior to the concert in the lobby. This concert is available via livestream at the Penn State School of Music.
Created in 1991, Essence of Joy sings sacred and secular music from the African and African-American choral traditions. Annual University Park events include fall and spring concerts, as well as the "African American Music Festival" (February) and "Our Gift in Song" (December). The choir also regularly collaborates with other Penn State ensembles, including a performance of the Leonard Bernstein Mass in 2013. Involving undergraduate and graduate students from all academic programs at Penn State, Essence of Joy has performed throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, Ohio, and Illinois. The choir has been invited to perform for conferences of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (1995, 1997, 2003), the eastern division of the Music Educators National Conference (1997), the eastern division of the American Choral Directors Association (2002, 2006, 2014), the national American Choral Directors Association (1999, 2003, 2005, 2011), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (2000).
The Essence of Joy Alumni Singers (EOJAS) perform sacred and secular music from the African and African-American choral traditions. The choir, founded in 2005, is composed of alumni of Essence of Joy of the Pennsylvania State University. EOJAS has performed extensively in locations such as Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Alabama, New York, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington D.C., Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. The choir released its first CD, Joy, in July 2011. EOJAS' mission is to learn, present, and promote African and African-American sacred and secular music in an effort to entertain, inspire, affirm, and unify the worldwide community. EOJAS is an official Alumni Interest Group (AIG) of the Penn State Alumni Association.