Glossary
| Jessye, Eva | | Born in 1895, Eva Jessye gained prominence as the foremost African American choral conductor of her era. Following studies at Western University in Kansas City, Kansas and at Langston University in Oklahoma, Eva Jessye became a teacher in the segregated Oklahoma school system. In 1922, she moved to New York where she worked as a journalist and amateur choir conductor for several gospel groups. Eva Jessye eventually attracted the attention of Broadway producers, and she became the original conductor for Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Vidor’s Hallelujah. Later, during the Civil Rights Movement, the Eva Jessye Choir was named the official choir for Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1963 march. Eva Jessye died in 1992. |
|
|
Home