Sacred Transcendence

Blending voice, strings, and piano, Sacred Transcendence traces the extraordinary journey of the African American spiritual from the church pew to the concert hall. Through beloved spirituals and breathtaking reimagining by composers including Florence Price, William Grant Still, and Shawk Okphebelo, the program reveals how songs born of faith, resilience, and hope have continued to inspire generations of artists. Rooted in tradition and transformed through bold new musical voices, Sacred Transcendence celebrates the enduring power of the spiritual as one of the most profound and influential musical legacies in American culture.

Whether familiar or newly discovered, these works invite audiences to experience the African American spiritual not as a relic of the past, but as a living tradition that continues to move, challenge, and inspire.  

Presented by Fairfield University