Behind the scenes at the Spirituals Project Choir, Denver’s ‘best kept secret’
DENVER — At the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, crowds are flooding toward the doors of the Newman Center for Performing Arts. The lobby is buzzing with anticipation. Students, family members, friends and children line up with tickets and bouquets of congratulatory flowers in hand. An image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. graces the front of the welcome sign.
Tonight, the occasion is a choir concert titled “Let Freedom Ring,” performed by the Spirituals Project Choir. If you haven’t heard of this group, you’re not alone.
“We like to say that the Spirituals Project is the best kept secret at DU,” said M. Roger Holland II, director of the Spirituals Project and associate professor at the university.
This choir, made up of students and community members of all ages and backgrounds, celebrates spirituals. Holland defines the spirituals as the religious or sacred folk music of enslaved African Americans in the United States during the 18th and 19th century. These songs were a way for the enslaved peoples to seek comfort and express sorrow, and the songs even acted as coded, hidden messages of resistance and freedom. A well known example is “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.”
“These songs make you feel things deeply, and even if you have no context for the history of these songs, you often can’t help but be moved by them,” Holland said.
The choir, which performs at both the Newman Center and around Denver, is part of the larger Spirituals Project, which started in 1998 as a nonprofit with the mission to preserve and revitalize the music and the teachings of the spirituals. Holland is not only educating his choir members, but the audience members who attend the shows. In the Newman Center, the entire audience learned about each song and was invited to sing along.
“You can’t separate this music from the reality of suffering,” Holland said. “This music was birthed from a place of suffering — the people who created this music were suffering. And yet, you cannot help but connect with the hope and joy of the songs, especially when we all sing together.”
According to Holland, it can often be initially uncomfortable for choir members — particularly the non-Black members — to sit with the reality of the American history of slavery through singing spirituals, which often depict the brutal and inhumane conditions of slaves during that time period.
“You must know the history of this music and you have to approach it responsibly,” Holland said. “I gave my choir the full history and an understanding of what this song was about, and we had a substantial conversation about what it meant for our white members to sing about beating a slave within an inch of the person's life.”
Holland entered the world of the Spirituals Project through Arthur Jones, founder of the project and member of the choir. Jones, who sang throughout his youth, said the origins of the Spirituals Project came from the unlikely place of a mid-life crisis during his years as a psychologist.
“I was feeling depressed and not really knowing why,” Jones said. “But once I got into therapy, I realized that the issue was that I just really missed singing.”
Jones knew about the spirituals from childhood, but the turning point of the mid-life crisis spurred him into a new chapter of his life re-focused on music and the psychology of the spirituals.
“I’d never thought about how important that tradition was,” Jones said. “I spent several years doing my own work with the spirituals, and then eventually chose to start this nonprofit.”
Jones brought on Holland as director of the project shortly after Holland arrived in Denver in 2016. The spirituals touch on two areas Holland feels passionately about — theology and African-American culture.
“The music of the African-American culture includes spirituals, gospels, R&B, and several other genres,” Holland said. “So for me to be able to come here and carve out a place for myself where I’m able to put all of that together feels really unique.”
Nora Robinson, a longtime member of the choir, started singing when she was five years old. An alumni of University of Denver, Robinson was one of five Black students at the Lamont School of Music during her time at the school.
“There was a hidden racism that I experienced during those years,” Robinson said. “So to be a part of this choir now and be able to sing with all sorts of people and be able to celebrate the spirituals like this is just incredible.”
Robinson said learning about the spirituals through the choir has given her context for the songs that she has been singing her whole life.
“The spirituals reach into people’s souls,” Robinson said. “You can’t hear the song the same way once you understand what ‘Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child’ actually means in the context in which it was created.”
Kyle Knuppel, a white choir member who is in his first year with the Spirituals Project Choir, said the choir has been an answer to a long-term search for community during challenging times. Knuppel said the choir allows him to connect with other community members who he may not have met otherwise, and always feels a sense of belonging. This, Knuppel said, is what makes the experience so special.
“It’s not lost on me that I’m a white man singing the songs of enslaved people from the 18th and 19th century,” Knuppel said. “But what’s also not lost on me are the messages and cultural relevance of these songs, as well as the richness it’s brought to my life.”
While the Spirituals Project remains DU’s best kept secret, Holland credits Adam Kowalski, one of the choir members and Lamont School of Music student, with getting the word out among the university.
“Students are the best at recruiting other students, and Adam has done a fantastic job at doing that,” Holland said. “50% of the student body doesn’t know we exist, and students are the best at recruiting other students,” Holland said. “Adam’s love for the choir is contagious.”
A senior at Lamont, Kowalski transferred to the music school after what he describes as a “come to Jesus” moment. As a transfer student, Kowalski had a lot of catching up to do and was searching for a choir to join to satisfy the credit requirement. Enter Roger Holland and the spirituals.
“Roger told me I could audition the next day,” Kowalski said. “I knew nothing about choir, and Roger was willing to work with me on that. I was the only student in the choir until recently, now we have, like, eight students.”
As the only transgender member of the choir, Kowalski said the music of the spirituals is more important than ever.
“These songs aren’t about trans people, they’re about people of color, but I think any marginalized person can relate to the themes of freedom and a deep hope for better conditions,” Kowalski said. “I’ve found community in this choir that I never expected to have.”
Kowalski did not travel home for the holidays due to bathroom laws in their home state of Alabama, as well as familial political differences. Instead, he spent the holidays with a fellow choir member.
“It’s just so meaningful to have that type of community, especially when it’s connected to a craft that you’re so passionate about,” Kowalski said. “It’s an honor to be a part of this group and I just hope I can do the best I can to pay tribute to this amazing work.”
Thanks to students like Kowalski and other fans in the community, Holland welcomed many returning audience members to the winter concert while also spreading awareness. When asked if anyone was a first time audience member, half the room raised their hands and cheered.
“I guess we can forgive that,” Holland joked with the first-time attendees. “What matters is you’re here now and we’re going to have a good time.”
The choir holds auditions year-round and is open to anyone in the community. Robust music knowledge is not required. The choir will be hosting their spring concert at the Newman Center May 16. Tickets and more information is available online at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music website.
For Holland, his pride in the choir extends many directions, but rests firmly in the fact that he and the choir have built a real community. He encourages those who haven’t attended one of their shows to check them out — and if you’re a singer or would like to be a singer, this choir is a great place to plug into the music community of Denver.
“The spirituals are the root and trunk of black music,” Holland said, quoting Wendell P. Whalum, who directed the glee club at Morehouse College. “I think that helps give the context for how significant this music really is and why it’s so important to educate not only our choir, but the community as a whole about what this means. Everyone has the ability to celebrate and learn with us.”
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