News from the Program in Music and the Black Church
December 15, 2023
The legendary Clark Sisters engage the Yale and New Haven communities through storytelling, teaching, and singing
In April, ISM’s Program in Music and the Black Church hosted one of the most beloved vocal ensembles in the history of gospel music, the Legendary Clark Sisters. Over the course of four packed days, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark, Karen Clark Sheard, and Jacky Clark Chisholm, proud daughters of gospel musician, choral director and industry pioneer, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, engaged in a masterclass, were interviewed as part of the Yale’s Oral History of American Music's (OHAM) Major Figures in American Music collection, participated in a symposium with leading musicians, and performed a sold-out concert in New Haven’s College Street Music Hall. Read more and view recordings from all four events at the links below.
"Women of the Gospel" Masterclass
A masterclass with students in Prof. Shelley’s “Women of the Gospel” class was one of the Clark Sisters' marquee events. Built around the four gospel songs composed by groups from the course, this ninety-minute class showcased the musical range and pedagogical skill of the Clark Sisters. Twinkie Clark recomposed the vamp of A New Song in real time. Dorinda Clark-Cole coached the student soloist for the same composition. Karen Clark Sheard wrote a new vamp for Surrender on the spot. The class was enthusiastically received. Watch the masterclass.
Interview for the OHAM collection
Adding to recently recorded conversations with gospel artists Vincent Bohanan, Kurt Carr, and Donald Lawrence, the Clark Sisters' two-hour interview with OHAM was conducted by Dr. Ambre Dromgoole M.A.R. '17, Ph.D. '23. They discuss their musical and spiritual formation as children of one of Black sacred music’s most influential figures and reflect on their decades in the music industry and the complexities that arise from doing this work as family. The interview joins approximately 1400 interviews with other prominent musicians from 1970 to the present. Watch the interview.
"An Evening with the Clark Sisters"
April’s concert opened with a solo organ set from Twinkie Clark, known as the “Queen of the Hammond B3 Organ.” The Sisters’ primary songwriter, she played a medley of the hymns I Will Make The Darkness Light and Great Is Thy Faithfulness, before drawing the audience to their feet with a funky rendition of Norman Hutchins’ Battlefield. Before the Clark Sisters took the stage, there was a surprise performance by gospel star Kierra Sheard-Kelly, who led an 85-voice community choir through a fiery rendition of the canonical Clark composition I Can Do All Things Through Christ. As the main event, The Clark Sisters riveted the audience with a full range of their hits including: Expect a Miracle, Blessed and Highly Favored, Livin, Is My Living in Vain? and their popular crossover hit, You Brought the Sunshine with a community choir led by local musicians, Bishop Sigmund Morriar, Dr. Thomas Mitchell, and Minister Stefon Hawkins. Along with the thousand-strong audience were denominational leaders and notable musicians, including Harry Connick Jr. Watch the concert.
“Eternal Gain”: A Symposium on Dr. Mattie Moss Clark and the Clark Sisters
The daylong symposium explored the creative, confessional, and institution-building contributions of The Clark Sisters and their late mother, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. Named for a treasured Clark lyric, Eternal Gain, it featured presentations from Dr. Ashon Crawley, Dr. Ambre Dromgoole, Dr. Marla Frederick, Dr. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, Dr. Guthrie Ramsey, Dr. Deborah Smith Pollard, Dr. Todne Thomas, Dr. Eboni Marshall Turman, Dr. Henry Washington, Jr., and Dr. Almeda Wright. Drawing from the life and work of the Clark family, they discussed a range of issues relating to the music(s) of the Black church: gender, kinship, instrumentality, fashion, media, and the music industry. Dr. Ramsey’s keynote illuminated the sonic details that underlie the family’s musical artistry. View the recording.
Gospel instrumental lessons through Church Music Skills
In the spring, we began offering applied lessons in percussion, piano, and voice in the Black gospel style. Initially for ISM and YDS students interested in gaining skills for service in Black churches, the lessons are now offered to all Yale students by leading instrumentalists and pedagogues, Dr. John Paul McGee, keyboards, Berklee College of Music; Dr. Trinice Robinson Martin, voice, Princeton University; and Tyson Jackson, percussion, Berklee College of Music. This semester also saw the first meetings of the Church Music Skills studio class, a welcoming and rigorous opportunity for students to interact with other members of their cohort to sharpen both individual and ensemble skills. Read more.
Ministering Through the Arts: Tradition and Innovation
In October, seven leading music and arts ministers from around the country participated in a panel and night of song that explored tradition and innovation in Black sacred music. They held a series of private and public discussions about the challenges and opportunities that are shaping music and arts ministry in their churches. Read more, view a slideshow, and watch recordings from the panel and the concert.
