On Nov. 5,  2023, composers Dr. Nicholas Reeves and Isaac Cates and conductor Dr. Anthony Maglione presented the world premiere of “The Canon for Racial Reconciliation”.

About The Canon

The Canon was commissioned by William Jewell College in 2020 shortly after protests surrounding the death of George Floyd. The concert program describes that the music seeks to “[fuse] the traditions of the Black Church and Orthodox Christianity,” and is the first piece of its kind. The work was set for two choirs: Cardinalis, which is composed of William Jewell College’s top choral students and professional singers from the Kansas City metro area; and Ordained, led by director of music outreach at the Church of the Resurrection Isaac Cates.

The concert program briefly summarizes the piece’s objective in the tagline, “Glory to God for all the flowers in His garden.” Meaning humans represent many different types of flowers; while each one is different, every flower is valuable.

Musical Style

The piece combines two distinct musical styles: that of traditional choral music and that of traditionally Black churches. It weaves these two together with great success. The traditional choral pieces relied heavily on piano, violin and trumpet; the Black church pieces involved significant audience engagement. Composer Nicholas Reeves used a sampler to great effect, overlaying disparate elements such as rushing water or a Martin Luther King, Jr. speech. “We found ways to bring the traditions, the sounds, the oral traditions all together,” Cates told KCUR. “Even the composing of the piece, I think, is reconciliatory.” 

Can art achieve reconciliation?

The day after the concert, the creators of the Canon sat down at the Oxbridge Symposium of Race and Art, an event hosted by Oxbridge senior tutor Dr. Elizabeth Sperry. The question being discussed was,  “To what extent, if at all, can art promote racial reconciliation?”

All three creators agreed that art could take a significant role in racial reconciliation. “Part of reconciliation,” Mr. Cates noted, “is saying people’s names.” The Canon sought to do that from the outset. Thus, on the first page of the program, Dr. Reeves highlights the significance of American composer Eva Jessye in the Canon. Miss Jessye compiled “My Spirituals”, which is a collection of authentically sourced spirituals. “Jessye’s arrangements,” writes Reeves, “are heard as melodic extractions, the harmonic foundation, or direct quotations. In effect, Eva Jessye becomes the third composer of the ‘Canon.’”

Sourcing music authentically, though, does not assist in reconciliation if the art is not genuine. According to Cates, “For art to be genuine, it has to be lived in. Empathy can start with just learning [about] each other.” 

Reeves observed that the Canon “allowed people to connect at a human level,” and Maglione agreed. Dr. Maglione “believe[s that] if everyone sang in choir, maybe they’d all learn how to listen to each other.”

Reconciliation begins with empathy and connection; if there is no connection between people, racist stereotypes can continue. The first step in reconciliation is realization—the realization that all of us are human. We must first humanize the dehumanized, lift up the downtrodden and examine our internal biases. Then, we are able to ask a question of justice. Reconciliation requires both.

For many students on William Jewell College’s campus, activities outside of their academic studies are a time to decompress and share an experience with friends. These activities range from theatre to intramurals and football to choir. All of these activities have been affected and changed by the rise of COVID-19 in the United States since late January. For 48 students on the Hill, the chance to sing with their friends and de-stress at the end of the day has been flipped on its head.

The William Jewell choir program, typically consisting of Choral Ensemble, Concert Choir and Choral Scholars, has been rearranged to mitigate the spread of the virus on campus. The 48 members of Jewell’s choir program have been separated into six small ensembles – with two ensembles meeting with Dr. Maglione in the afternoon outside, weather-permitting, near the concession stand in Greene Stadium. 

Each singer is assigned to a spot, marked with a white X, that is distanced from the singers around them. The students have all been given a special singer’s mask. The mask, while still protecting the wearer and those around them, sticks out farther from the face of the wearer, allowing for better sound and air circulation. 

The soprano-alto choir was separated into two groups with one singing “The March of the Women” by Ethel Smyth and the other group singing “Ave Maria” by B.E. Boykin. The tenor-bass choir will be singing “Requiescat” by Andrea Ramsey. 

During the rehearsal process, each of the three groups will be split into the aforementioned six small ensembles and will use the Acapella app to showcase the progress that they have made on the pieces. Dr. Maglione hopes to use a new app, with a scheduled release date in October, for the final performance as it should allow for up to 50 participants in collaboration with a similar end product to the Acapella app. The creation of this new app would allow the choir to have performances with the entirety of the choir. Performing with the whole of the choir restores some semblance of normalcy, but the choir experience that these singers have come to know and love will not be what it was until the threat of COVID-19 is gone. 

Georgia Hatfield, first-year music education major, spoke about her experiences in the choir program so far. 

“I assumed that I would be in one huge choir … and every single day we would work on learning the music together,” Hatfield said. 

Instead of the large choir that she had been expecting, Hatfield has been placed into one of the small ensembles as well as the Choral Scholars ensemble. However, these changes to the typical structure of the choir have not gotten her down.

“I knew that a smaller school and a smaller music program would mean more attention to detail, but this makes me feel like they really care about us and are trying their best to think things through for the safety of not only the professors but the students [as well],” said Hatfield.

In regards to the precautions taken by the music department, Hatfield said she never feels unsafe. Overall, her time in the choir so far has been positive, with some expected setbacks.

“It is much harder to make connections and get to know the other singers in the group,” said Hatfield.

Social distancing and the masks make it difficult for those new on campus, not just those in the choir program, to create the deep connections that are so widely touted by students of Jewell, but that does not mean we must disregard either of those things. We must temporarily forego these “normal” connections on campus to fight and stop the pandemic in this country. Once we have done that we will be able to finally remove our masks, hug our friends and forge those deep connections that we all heard about on our tours of the college.

The Choral Scholar scholarship is awarded to students during their senior year of high school. In order to qualify for the scholarship, students must be accepted as a student in William Jewell and score well in a vocal audition in front of three vocal professors. There are multiple scholarships that may be awarded through this process, but the highest award is the Choral Scholar program.

The Choral Scholars are expected to fulfill a number of requirements within their scholarships. They are to enroll in the Concert Choir (which is ranked as the number two college choir in the nation, according to the 2019 competition American Prize in Choral Performance) as well as attend private vocal lessons with one of the vocal staff, and participate in Choral Scholars. There are currently 13 members.

Part of what makes the Choral Scholars so unique is their individual voices. Every student has multiple solo achievements, including lead roles in musicals, high rankings at district and state competitions in high school, and a high percentage of graduate school placement for music majors. Another thing that sets the Choral Scholars apart from the top choirs in other schools is that the Choral Scholars aren’t required to be music majors. Many are, but some aren’t.

As aforementioned, the Choral Scholars had a very busy last week! The Concert Choir performed at the Kauffman Centre for the Performing Arts on March 6. They performed alongside the William Baker Festival Singers and soloist Sarah Tannehill. They sang the works of Sir Andrew Davis and his son Ed Frazier Davis, both of whom are accomplished and well-known composers of beautiful contemporary pieces. Both were also in residence with the Concert Choir, conducting them and offering feedback The Concert Choir had been preparing for this concert since their return from spring break. The Choral Scholars, in addition to this, also had a major concert to prepare for just a few days later on March 9.

The Choral Scholars are also part of a group called Cardinalis, founded by the current choir professor Dr. Anthony Maglione. Cardinalis features the Choral Scholars as well as professional singers from the KC metro area, many of whom are Jewell alumni. This year, they have performed together twice, including the concert this past Monday. That concert featured music from the upcoming composer Dale Trumbore and her work entitled How to Go On. The Choral Scholars had been working on that set since shortly before winter break.

The next step for Choral Scholars is a combined concert with the Concert Choir and Choral Ensemble in May. However, it is unknown if this will still happening pending COVID-19, but the goal is that this concert will still occur. Every member of every choir will be sent home with music to learn on their own in case the choir still happens. Hopefully, the spotlight will still remain on these talented Jewell students!

The ceremony began with the procession of faculty members in full academic robes and the singing of the National Anthem. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, president of the College, delivered a welcome message to the community.

The Concert Choir performed the musical anthem under the direction of Dr. Anthony Maglione, associate professor of music. The piece, entitled “The Same Stream,” established an accepting, forward-looking tone through the lyrics:

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day

runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

Susan Chambers, chair of the Board of Trustees, congratulates award winner Karen L. Daniel.

Karen L. Daniel and Jewel D. Scott, received the 2018 William F. Yates Medallion, the highest non-degree award bestowed by Jewell.

Karen L. Daniel was the chief financial officer of Black and Veatch, as well as president of the company’s Global Finance and Technology Solutions Division, until her recent retirement. Daniel was introduced by Joe Reardon, the President/CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, who praised her financial accounting skills and wonderful sense of humor.

Jewel D. Scott, also recently retired, served The Civic Council of Greater Kansas City for 29 years as director of research and lateras the executive director. Sandra J. Price, former Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Sprint Corporation introduced Scott.

The address was delivered by David Warm, Executive Director of Mid-America Regional Council. Warm drew on his experience as a father and a community leader in Liberty to present an encouraging message.  

“[As critical thinkers at William Jewell, you have claimed] the skills, the confidence, the commitment to let go and move forward, to navigate the uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity,” said Warm.

At the end of the ceremony, attendees of the 2018 Opening Convocation stood to sing Jewell’s Alma Mater, ushering in a new academic year on the Hill.