As the grand finale of the 2025 Syracuse International Jazz Fest, the Spelman College Glee Club of Atlanta will perform at Hendricks Chapel of Syracuse University on Sunday, June 29, 2025. The Spelman College Glee Club, now in its historic 100th year, is the oldest collegiate choir of African American women in the United States. Directed by Dr. Kevin P. Johnson since 1999, the Glee Club has achieved national and international acclaim, performing at the White House, Carnegie Hall, the Vatican, and across Europe. With the motto ‘to amaze and inspire,’ the Spelman College Glee Club uplifts audiences with artistry rooted in tradition and shaped by innovation.
“Return to Community: A Sunday Gospel Jazz Service” will feature performances by The Spelman College Glee Club, The Black Celestial Choral Ensemble (BCCE) of Syracuse University, and a community choir comprised of Syracuse-area residents.
Following highly successful events in 2023 and 2024, the 2025 Syracuse International Jazz Fest finale at Hendricks Chapel will once again offer a dynamic and inclusive spiritual experience that fuses and celebrates Gospel and Jazz, includes a pre-event welcome luncheon, and seeks to spark and sustain renewal in our local community and beyond. The 3:00 P.M. program and 12:30 P.M. luncheon are both free of charge and open to the first 1,000 attendees.
“Return to Community: A Sunday Gospel Jazz Service”
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Program: 3:00 P.M.
Pre-Event Luncheon: 12:30-2:30 P.M.
Hendricks Chapel of Syracuse University
There is no fee to attend the program or lunch. All are welcome.
Attendance capacity: 1,000 with overflow seating available outdoors
Spelman College Glee Club
The Spelman College Glee Club is the oldest collegiate choir of African American women in the United States. Since 1924 the ensemble has served as Spelman College’s premier performance organization, representing the college with excellence through a wide-ranging repertoire of classical masterworks, Negro spirituals, world folk music, and commissioned works by African American composers. Led by Dr. Kevin P. Johnson since 1999, the Glee Club has achieved national and international acclaim, performing at the White House, Carnegie Hall, the Vatican, and across Europe. With the motto ‘to amaze and inspire,’ the Spelman College Glee Club continues to uplift audiences with artistry rooted in tradition and shaped by innovation.
Dr. Johnson, the Glee Club director, is a composer, conductor, and educator whose work lies at the vibrant intersection of music, culture, and spirituality. He is associate professor of music at Spelman College and leads the Glee Club into a new century of musical excellence and innovation. Having earned a doctorate in musical arts, Dr. Johnson’s compositions – including seven complete mass settings and over 300 psalm arrangements – are sung across the United States, especially in Black Catholic communities. His recent works include Hip-Hop Mass, commissioned by the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute, and Music Everywhere Chorus America. Dr; Johnson is also director of music at the Lyke House Catholic Center and founder of Lion and Lamb Publishing.
The Black Celestial Choral Ensemble (BCCE) of Syracuse University
Founded in 1977 by Rev. Dr. Seretta C. McKnight to provide a spiritual home for Black students at Syracuse University, the Black Celestial Choral Ensemble (BCCE) ministers through gospel music that fosters and supports academic excellence at a university welcoming to all. Led by student director Joshua Garvin ’25 and supported through The Alumni Group of the BCEE (TAG-BCCE), the choir has performed at numerous venues throughout the United States, including the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta, GA), the spiritual home of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and currently led by Rev. Dr. Senator Raphael Warnock.
Gospel Jazz Community Choir
To honor the Sunday gospel jazz service theme of “Return to Community,” a diverse community choir composed of Syracuse area residents will once again be led by Cora Thomas, known locally as “Syracuse’s First Lady of Gospel Music.” Born and raised in Syracuse, Thomas serves numerous community organizations and hosts “Sunday Morning Gospel” on WAER 88.3 of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. All interested in participating in the community choir may contact Cora Thomas at cathomas@syr.edu or Hendricks Chapel at chapel@syr.edu or 315.443.2901.
Pre-Event Outdoor Welcome Luncheon
To celebrate the “Return to Community” theme, a pre-event outdoor welcome luncheon, featuring free food and refreshments, will take place on the Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle of Syracuse University from 12:30-2:30 P.M. At 2:30 P.M., the first 1,000 guests will be ushered into Hendricks Chapel for the 3:00 P.M. service start time.
Syracuse International Jazz Fest
For additional information on the 2025 Syracuse International Jazz Fest, please visit syracusejazzfest.com.
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Hendricks Chapel, the spiritual heart of Syracuse University, is the student-centered global home for religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical life. Established in 1930 as a home for all faiths and place for all people, the chapel hosts 16 chaplains, more than 25 religious and spiritual groups, and sponsors over 1,900 programs for more than 900,000 annual attendees. Hendricks Chapel employs student workers, supports musical ensembles, offers support through the Student Opportunity Fund, Coach Mac Food Pantry, and Student Veteran Support Fund, and partners throughout the campus community to advance academic excellence at a university welcoming to all. As a central contributor to holistic life and learning at Syracuse University, Hendricks Chapel helps to prepare engaged citizens, scholars, and leaders for participation in a changing global society. For more information, visit chapel.syracuse.edu.