Grambling State News

Grambling, La. — October 21, 2022 — The shining sounds of 75 years of success permeated the air in the Conrad Hutchinson Performing Arts Center on Monday evening as the Grambling State University Choir presented its anniversary performance under the guidance of new director Cordara Harper.

Titled “Be Optimistic: A Celebration of 75 years Sharing our Songs,” the program featured the 2022-23 GSU Choir recognizing its diamond anniversary by performing with the Wossman High School Choir from Monroe, Louisiana, as well as the GSU Choir closing the concert by performing a pair of songs arranged by Harper himself.

“I feel great about the concert and the way it all went,” Harper said. “I am truly overjoyed at the way it all came together and worked out. The director there (Dezsiray Sullivan) is a GSU graduate and Wossman calls itself ‘Little Grambling,’ sometimes,” Harper said. “That’s their nickname.”

Harper said the collaboration added a special element to the anniversary concert.

“I went over there and met them, conducted them, and sang with them and said, ‘Hey, we need to make them part of this celebration — add something new and fresh while looking back over 75 years of this tremendous program.’ It was all meant to be.”

The two choirs opened the concert by performing Kanye West’s “Father Stretch My Hands” on stage together.

“I graduated from here, so it was special to me in that aspect but it probably meant even more for my students at Wossman, so it was amazing,” Sullivan said. “My kids are thinking about what their next steps after high school will be.”

“Some are thinking about going right into the workforce and then I have others who are really thinking about college,” Sullivan continued. “So especially for those students, having the opportunity to perform with college students on this level kind of gave them a better idea of where they want to go to school, because they really enjoyed themselves today.”

Sullivan said he wasn’t surprised at how well the two choirs meshed into one during the performance.

“These kids have worked with me for so long,” Sullivan said. “They really understand my structure. And these university kids have so much experience. When you have performed on that level for so long it really doesn’t take very long to learn pieces, so it fell into place easily and beautifully.”

Another highlight came when the GSU Choir performed a version of “Wade In De Water” arranged by the late Robert E. Williams when he served as Grambling’s choir director from 1960-86, with his granddaughter Stephanie Franklin out in the crowd watching.

“It was very moving,” Franklin said. “It was very emotional. They did a great job.”

Harper felt just as moved knowing Franklin was watching.

“I got chills when I heard she was here,” Harper said. “I can’t even describe how much joy that filled me when I saw she was here to be able to witness us — 75 years of rich legacy and to perform her grandfather’s work. I don’t even have words to describe how wonderful that makes me feel.”

The GSU Choir closed out the concert on an upbeat note, singing a Roger Emerson-arranged version of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” followed by a pair of songs Harper arranged especially for the event — Jazmine Sullivan’s “Masterpiece (Mona Lisa)” with choir member Shakira Whigham serving as soloist, and “Optimistic,” a song written by Gary Hines, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and originally performed by three-time Grammy Award winning vocal/instrumental ensemble Sounds of Blackness.

“That felt great,” Harper said of the GSU choir performing a pair of songs he personally arranged. “I really enjoyed arranging those pieces for our students. I’m one of those professors where whatever it takes — all hands on deck we’re going to make something happen.”

“I’m very thankful for the students, the faculty and just the great Grambling community. Being a new professor here, we wanted to get off to a big start and I think we did.”

All in all, Harper felt the event was a great start for the GSU choir under his direction.

“We’ve been working on this concert since August,” Harper said. “We came up with the theme ‘Be Optimistic’ and included the song ‘Optimistic’ to encourage our school, our students, and our staff and administration to be optimistic, especially in light of the fact that we’re just coming out of such a difficult time in the world and everywhere, including Grambling.”

“So we wanted to send a message to everybody to ‘keep your head to the skies,” Harper continued. “It’s going to get better. You can win. You got this.’ We wanted everyone to come away from the concert with that feeling.”