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Weekend In Entertainment: Charlotte Checkers, Morehouse Glee Club & More!
Oct 10, 2019By Gwendolyn Glenn
WFAE
On tap this weekend we have the Queen Charlotte Fair, opening night for the Charlotte Checkers and a food truck competition. Oh, and the world-renowned Morehouse College Glee Club. They're in town tonight to perform with the Charlotte Symphony.
Dr. David Morrow is the glee club's director for the concert.
"We are doing a variety of music -- sort of going back and forth between the symphonies," Morrow said. "It's a very equal concert. There's symphonic music that will be done just by the symphony. There are things that the glee club is going to do by itself, including our signature song "Betelehemu" -- which is a Nigerian Christmas song that we do every year. We've been singing it since about 1965. It's a very exciting piece. On the second half, we are doing most things together. And it includes a wonderful piece by Joel Thompson called the "Seven Last Words of the Unarmed."
Joining Gwendolyn Glenn to talk about this elite group of all-male singers and more is Billie Jean Shaw, a reporter for NBC Charlotte.
Gwendolyn Glenn: Hi Billie Jean.
Billie Jean Shaw: Hi Gwen.
Glenn: Well Morehouse's Glee Club is performing tonight for one night only. Tell us more details.
Shaw: Sure. So Morehouse is a historically black, all-male college out of the ATL so they're known for a lot of things like their excellence in education, famous alumni -- but they're also known for their glee club. They've actually traveled all over the world from Africa, the Caribbean to Russia and Poland. So the glee club was formed back in 1911 and they've had many notable performances, including Super Bowl XXVIII, opening and closing ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games, and they performed at none other than Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's funeral. (Also) President Jimmy Carter's inauguration and they've made regular appearances with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. So tonight they'll join the full Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for a special collaboration led by resident conductor Christopher James Lees.
Glenn: And remind us, exactly what is a glee club?
Shaw: So, a glee club is a group of singers that perform short choral works a.k.a. glee's by trios or quartets. And matter of fact, if you've ever seen the hit show "Glee" on Fox that may be a good comparison for you and the concert.
Glenn: And it's tonight at 7:30?
Shaw: Yes, at the Belk Theater in uptown. And this is my favorite part -- all proceeds from this show will provide scholarships for students in the Charlotte area attending Morehouse College.
Glenn: Well, that's a great cause. Now, moving on to Friday, which will be the opening night for the Charlotte Checkers -- Charlotte's professional ice hockey team.
Read the full interview on WFAE.
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