For Immediate Release

CONTACT:
Kerry-Ann Hamilton
Media Relations Manager
(202) 238-2332
k_hamilton@howard.edu

Howard University Choir Tours China

Photo by Justin Knight
J. Weldon Norris conducts the Howard University Choir during Opening Convocation 2008.

WASHINGTON (March 5, 2009) – The world-renowned Howard University Choir led by Conductor J. Weldon Norris will be headlining across the Republic of China during spring break from March 14 to 22, 2009.

The choir will present a series of high profile concerts in five cities, including Beijing, Shenyang, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and either Nanjing or Shanghai. The cultural exhibition includes repertoire of classical music, folk songs, and their signature, Negro Spirituals. This trip follows a remarkable performance in Russia last summer.

In addition to the concerts, Professor Norris will be featured in a series of lectures on “The Negro Spiritual” and will conduct musical workshops at several leading Chinese universities.

“This visit will be one of our major events this year and provides us with a rare opportunity to expose the Chinese public to a music genre that they have rarely, if ever, heard before,” said Frank Whitaker, assistant cultural affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in China.

The U.S. Department of State and the American Embassy in China are sponsoring the visit. During the tour, the Howard singers are expected to be greeted by two Howard University alumni, Charles Reynolds and Andrea Corey, both of whom are State Department diplomats in China.