The 92nd annual Morehouse-Spelman Christmas Carol Concert series, a tradition that has marked the opening of the Christmas season for generations of Atlanta residents, will begin on Friday, Nov. 30 at Morehouse College's Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel.
The combined holiday voices of the Spelman College Glee Club and the Morehouse College Glee Club take the stage at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 at Spelman's Sisters Chapel.
On Dec. 2, the concert will be held at Morehouse College at 6 p.m. It will be streamed live for audiences.
The annual Christmas concert dates back nearly a century. It began in December 1927—two years before Morehouse graduate Martin Luther King Jr. was born, one year before the venerable Atlanta African American newspaper, the Atlanta Daily World, was founded, as well as the Harlem Globetrotters. The idea for the concert came from the presidents of the two institutions, John Hope of Morehouse and Florence Matilda Read from Spelman.
The first was held in Spelman’s Sisters Chapel, then the largest venue between the two colleges. The tradition grew as crowds grew, with the concert becoming a three-night affair. When Morehouse’s Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel was built in 1978, the concert partially moved to into the larger venue. Eventually, the format became the two nights at Morehouse and one at Spelman to usher in the Christmas season.
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“The excellence showcased at the Morehouse Spelman Christmas Carol Concert continues to make it a hallmark of the season for people in and around metro Atlanta who have attended the holiday event over the years,” said Dr. David A. Thomas, President of Morehouse College. “It is our gift to those who support the Atlanta University Center and the arts.”
The directors of the glee clubs, Kevin Johnson at Spelman and former Morehouse College Glee Club member David Morrow ’80, at Morehouse, said the concert will feature a mix of traditional, classical, and cultural songs. Audience members will receive song lyrics so that they can sing along with the holiday program.