Amateur Music Network (AMN) presents its 3rd Annual Juneteenth Workshop and sing-along of American spirituals conducted by Dr. Candace Y. Johnson in collaboration with Oakland-based artist, producer, and pianist Kev Choice.
The in-person, multi-denominational, participatory performance will take place at Oakland’s New Destiny Church, at 625 8th Street, and is open to vocalists and music enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. The Juneteenth Celebration and Workshop will also be shared via ZOOM so vocalists from around the country can also participate and sing with the choir and others.
The workshop will focus on Dr. Johnson’s new arrangement of the traditional spiritual Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho, prepared especially for this occasion. The lyrics allude to the biblical story of the Battle of Jericho, in which Joshua led the Israelites against Canaan, and the song is believed to have been composed by slaves in the first half of the 19th century.
Dr. Johnson and Kev Choice will co-lead the workshop, will discuss the traditions of spirituals in America, the new arrangement, and the choral performance. The New Destiny Church in Oakland will host the Celebration and Workshop and the church has been led by Bishop Christopher C. Smith and Pastor Adrienne Smith since 1999. They have built an apostoic church that strengthens families and goes beyond its walls to impact the Bay Area.
Dr. Candace Y. Johnson is a professor in the Music department at University of California Berkeley and performs around the world including guest appearances at Carnegie Hall, The Manhattan Center, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Johnson is a versatile artist, equally comfortable in opera, musical theater, and jazz. On the voice faculty at the University of California-Berkeley since 2009, Johnson teaches applied voice classes and a musicology course she designed based on her research and performance of works by African-American composers. Prior to her current appointment, she was awarded a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship in the music department. Johnson earned her doctorate in voice performance from the University of Michigan, where she studied with the late Shirley Verrett, as well as George Shirley and Willis Patterson.
Artist-educator-activist Kev Choice is a pianist, M.C., producer, composer, and bandleader. His music combines his classical training, heavy roots in Hip-Hop, wit and conscious lyricism, to bring a positive and inspiring message to his unique blend of Hip-Hop, Jazz, Classical, R&B and Soul. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Master’s Degree in Music from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. In 2018, he was commissioned by Oakland Symphony to write a piece and composed Soul Restoration Suite and, in 2020, he collaborated with San Francisco Symphony and wrote “Movements” He currently teaches and is co-chair of the Instrumental Music department at Oakland School for the Arts and serves on City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission. He also serves on the Recording Academy’s SF Chapter board of Governors as Vice-President. He was recently named to YBCA 100 list for being a changemaker in the Bay Area. In 2020, his work received grants and commissions from Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, San Jose Jazz, and Akonadi Foundation.
Tickets & Information: amateurmusic.org
IN PERSON: $25 at New Destiny Church (625 8th Street, Oakland)
ONLINE via Zoom: $10
No one is turned away for lack of funds. Contact [email protected] to request a scholarship.