The
Power of Song Project took more than a year to fully complete.
Along the way, we took photos to document our progress.
Follow the links below
to see photos from different phases of the project.
Photos from the Rehearsals
The members of the Title I Choir and all who participated in the concert spent a lot of time rehearsing. Below are some photos from rehearsals.
The choir rehearses with Dr. Reagon before the concert.
The tenors - a small section with a big sound!
Choir members rehearse at the library before the recording session.
Diane Hardy and Sid Oliver direct the Title I Choir
“I enjoy singing in a choir because singing together with other kids makes you feel great.”
-
Sara, soprano.
After months of hard work, Dr. Reagon and the choir performed in a concert at the House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church on April 14, 2005. They were joined by narrators from The Gamma Delta Kudos and The Kappa Leadership League, vocalist Antwaun Stanley and violinist Gareth Johnson. An audience of over 700 people attended. Below are some photos from the concert. For a copy of the concert script, follow this link.
The narrators
begin speaking to a full house.
Dr. Reagon
performs with the choir.
Vocalist Antwaun Stanley and Violinist Gareth Johnson perform "A City Called
Heaven." Not pictured: Sidney Oliver on organ.
Gareth Johnson plays his solo,
"Mother and Child."
The concert
ended with a standing ovation from the audience!
Choir director Diane Hardy was
happy with the performance.
Gareth Johnson
and Antwaun Stanley pose together after the show.
The Narrators and Dr. Reagon pose together after the show.
The concert participants smile for the camera.
School Partners
From left:
Eugene Rutledge - Interim Superintendent, Flint Community Schools; violinist
Gareth Johnson; vocalist Antwaun Stanley; Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon;
Choir Leader Diane Hardy; Assistant Choir Leader Sidney Oliver; and
David A. Solis - Director, State, Federal and Local Programs.
Library Partners
From left:
Gareth Johnson, violinist; Antwaun Stanley, vocalist; Leslie Acevedo, Program
Coordinator;
Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon; Jo Anne G. Mondowney, Library Director;
Mercedea
Shriver, Program Coordinator; and Brenda Harris, Program Coordinator.
Photos from the Workshop and Lecture
During Dr. Reagon's visit to Flint in April 2005, she offered two public programs: a workshop on African-American Gospel Composers, and a lecture about her life as a Freedom Singer. Both were held at the Flint Public Library's main branch. Below are some photos from the workshop and lecture.
Dr. Reagon's lecture was filled with songs (performed a cappella) and personal anecdotes.
Dr. Reagon speaks to local teachers and musicians about pioneering African-American
gospel composers.
During the year, as they learned the music for the performance, the choir members worked with library staff to study the Civil Rights Movement. They created artwork and writing based on what they learned. The projects were paired with photos of the Civil Rights Movement in Flint from the collections of the Sloan Museum in an exhibit called "The Power of Song: A Visual Interpretation of the Fight for Freedom and Justice for All." The choir members, their family and friends were invited to a reception for the exhibit that was held at the Flint Public Main Library on April 28, 2005. Below are some photos from the exhibit and reception.
Some students worked together to create artwork representing themes of the Civil Rights Movement.
Other students wrote poems
about Civil Rights.
Other students
made projects on their own.
The students artwork was displayed alongside photos from the collections of the Sloan Museum.
Students pose with their artwork.
Choir Director Diane Hardy poses with a photo of the choir and quotes from
the choir members.
Many friends and family members attended the exhibit reception at the library.
Photos from the Recording Session
On December 10, 2005, Dr. Reagon, the Title I choir directors, 19 members of the choir, the original narrators and Antwaun Stanley gathered at the All-4-Him Studio in Flint, MI to make a recording of the songs and narration from the April 14th concert. Below are some photos from the recording session.
The altos
The sopranos
The tenors
Sidney Oliver, Assistant Choir Director
Antwaun Stanley sings "Calypso Freedom"
The narrators
Images from the "Power of Song" CD
After the December 2005 recording session, library staff worked with Dr. Reagon and Bias Studios in Springfield, VA to finalize production of the CD. Below are images of the CD and liner notes, designed by Oasis CD Manufacturing.
The front page of the CD liner notes
The "Power of Song" CD
Web page designed by: Mercedea Shriver
For more
information about this project, please contact Leslie Acevedo at (810)
249-2046 or lacevedo
fpl.info
For more information
about Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, please contact the Jodi
Solomon Speakers Bureau at (617) 266-3450 or jodijodisolomon.biz
or go to Dr. Bernice Johnson
Reagon's web pages.
Copyright Flint Public Library. All rights reserved.
Updated
11/18/08
Contact: askus 
fpl.info
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