As Spelman College marks the close of its 144th Founders Day celebrations, the spotlight will shine on an institution within the institution — one that has not only been an integral part of the College’s legacy but also an influential force in the world of music and culture. On April 13, 2025 at 6 p.m., the Spelman College Glee Club will host its Centennial Concert, a milestone event that commemorates 100 years of musical excellence, cultural pride, and the deep bonds of sisterhood that have been fostered through song.
For over a century, the Glee Club has stood as a testament to the power of Black women’s voices. Founded in 1925, the Glee Club has nurtured generations of women who have gone on to impact the world through music, academia, and activism. As the Glee Club prepares to celebrate its centennial anniversary, Dr. Kevin Johnson, its current director, reflects on the essential role the group plays in both the life of the College and in broader societal contexts.
A Legacy of Cultural Significance and Empowerment
In an interview, Dr. Johnson emphasized the enduring necessity of the Glee Club in the 21st century. “The Spelman College Glee Club is not only necessary — it’s vital,” he stated. “For 100 years, this ensemble has been the cultural heartbeat of Spelman, telling our stories, honoring our ancestors, and inspiring future generations through song.”
In times when communities can feel fractured and divisive, the Glee Club continues to be a unifying force, offering both a sense of belonging and a platform for resistance. “Our music is more than performance,” Dr. Johnson continued. “It’s preservation, healing, and resistance. Our music reaffirms that Black women’s voices matter—not just musically, but historically, socially, and spiritually.” The Centennial Concert, therefore, is not merely a celebration of the past; it is a living, breathing affirmation of the power of Black women’s voices and their unbreakable connection to the traditions of freedom, justice, and excellence.
The performance will showcase a diverse repertoire that blends the classical with the contemporary, honoring the historical roots of the Glee Club while also embracing innovation and creativity. From powerful spirituals to world premieres, each piece chosen for the Centennial Concert will reflect the depth, range, and vibrancy of the Glee Club’s legacy.
Music as a Sacred Space
As Dr. Johnson explains, the Centennial Concert is more than just a musical event—it is a sacred space where community is formed and resilience is nurtured. “Music becomes a sacred space,” he shared. “In today’s fractured world, where identity is often contested and community can feel elusive, the Glee Club’s work plays an essential role in fostering solidarity and strength.”
The Centennial Concert, set to unfold on Sunday, April 13, 2025, will not only be a celebration of the past but a look ahead to the future of the Glee Club and its continued mission of elevating the voices of Black women through music. As the Glee Club’s current members prepare to take the stage alongside alumni, the concert will provide a rare opportunity to witness the intergenerational power of Black music—an enduring thread that has bound together women from all walks of life, shaping them into a powerful sisterhood.
A Tribute to the Past, Present and Future
“The Centennial Concert will feature a repertoire that honors our past, celebrates our present, and envisions our future,” Dr. Johnson promised. “From classical works to spirituals, world premieres to cherished Glee Club standards, every piece is intentional.” Attendees can expect an evening filled with emotional and spiritual resonance, where each note sung, and each song performed, will embody the essence of Spelman College’s rich musical and cultural legacy.
Beyond the music, the concert will also be a reunion of sorts—a powerful reflection of the Glee Club’s role in shaping the lives of its members. “It’s a moment where tradition meets transformation—and everyone in the room becomes part of the legacy,” Dr. Johnson reflected. “You’ll witness the intergenerational power of Black music, performed by current students and alumni whose lives have been shaped by this sisterhood.”
The Centennial Concert will not only offer a moving musical experience but will also be an opportunity for alumnae and students to reconnect, reflect, and renew their commitment to the enduring mission of the Glee Club. For many, it will be a chance to pay tribute to the legacy of those who came before them and to honor the Glee Club’s unique place in the history of Spelman College.
Madisyn Christina Washington, C'2028, an Alto 2 and drummer in the Glee Club, shared her own reflections on what the Centennial means to her: “The Spelman College Glee Club is so important because it represents over a century of musical excellence, cultural preservation, and sisterhood. As the drummer and an Alto 2 in the Glee Club, I’ve had the honor of contributing both rhythm and harmony to a legacy that stretches back 100 years. That legacy is rooted not just in performance, but in purpose, uplifting voices, celebrating Black womanhood, and sharing Spelman’s story through song."
Washington added, “Being a part of the Glee Club means I’m connected to generations of Spelman women who have used music as a form of expression, resistance, and unity. Whether I’m behind the drums setting the tempo or blending vocals in the alto section, I know I’m helping carry forward a tradition that is larger than any one person.”
For Washington, celebrating 100 years of the Glee Club is incredibly special: “It’s not just a milestone, it’s a testament to the power of music to endure, inspire, and transform. It’s a reminder of where we’ve come from and a call to keep building on that foundation with excellence, pride and heart.”
As the Spelman College Glee Club marks 100 years of cultural excellence, spiritual uplift and musical mastery, one student’s voice rises not only in pitch — but in purpose. Ariana Swindell, C'2026, a junior music major and Spanish minor from Lawrenceville, Georgia, whose artistry, leadership, and deep-rooted faith are helping carry the Glee Club’s century-long legacy into a bold new era.
A student conductor, composer, section leader and Warner Music Group HBCU Intensive Scholar, Swindell represents the future of music with the reverence of a historian, the soul of a worshipper and the vision of a changemaker. Why Glee? Be inspired by Swindell's Spelman story.
Listen and Learn From a Q&A With Dr. J.
From sharing their voices with captive audiences across the country to performing with Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth to singing “America the Beautiful” at the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, the Glee Club’s 100th anniversary celebration is a memorable one. Fresh off a hectic, six-city spring tour with 65 students, Dr. Johnson responded to a series of questions that peel the curtain back and reveal the hard work that makes the Glee Club shine. (As featured in the Spelman College Messenger).
Glee Club members serve as ambassadors for the College. Please explain how and why this is important.
KJ: On tour, performances include at churches and high schools. After we finish a concert, members quickly introduce themselves, their majors and hometowns. High schoolers who are already enthralled by the presentation can see the scope of majors, that you don’t have to be a music major or a musician.
One high schooler on this tour was slumped over in her chair with her feet propped up when we began. By the fourth song, she was sitting erect. So, the Glee Club is one of the strongest recruitment tools, given the attention it commands. Take a poll of the choir and half will say they came to Spelman, influenced by the Glee Club.
Describe the scope of the group’s repertoire.
KJ: Like most choirs in higher education, we try to do pieces that come from the standard women’s choral repertoire for colleges, but lately I’ve been paying more attention to including Black cultural works: Negro spirituals, funk, jazz, hip-hop and rap, but with new twists.
"We do it all these days. Sometimes I wonder if I’m too Black when compared to previous archived choir footage, but Spelman has a unique mission to uphold the history of African-American music and then go beyond. We are forward-looking, pushing every envelope we can find while still respecting tradition. In this, some pieces have gone viral, a forever hit on social media that technology now provides." Dr. Kevin Johnson.
Note some of the highlights and range of performances before dignitaries, celebrities and national/international figures.
KJ: Want me to drop some names? President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. Aretha Franklin. Oprah Winfrey. Stevie Wonder. The Morman Tabernacle Choir. The Atlanta Ballet. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Yo-Yo Ma. President Jimmy Carter. We have traveled internationally and sang with other symphonies too and with many of the divas, including Kathleen Battle and Jennifer Holliday.
At a recent performance, attendees were mesmerized by a beautiful, unexpectedly low rendition for a female chorus. Do some members actually sing tenor, or were attendees hearing enough low-alto voices that can mimic the tenor sound?
KJ: At Spelman, we are known for our low altos. We are not your typical women’s chorus. We got that low. We got that high. We got that power. We got that funk. I have a student we recruited from Texas that’s coming in the fall. She sings lower than any female I have ever heard. Down the road, we might do a Temptations song, so she can sing like Melvin.
For those music majors, or those interested in professional vocal performance, what do you offer to help develop, but protect their voices?
KJ: We teach what they need. Those going into vocal performance generally study voice and take applied voice or private voice. They get a good amount of vocal training, and I take them from there and make them section leaders.
“A Choice to Change the World” is the tagline for the school. How has the musical selection by the same name become such a popular anthem for the College?
KJ: In 2007, the communications office alerted me that we had a new tagline for Spelman and requested me to write a song for it. I asked a mentee, Sarah Stephens, now Sarah Stephens Benibo, to assist and she came back with the lyrics. We crafted what you hear today, probably all within a month. We sing the song at the end of every concert now. It seems to want to stick around.
Name a few notable alumnae who were members of the Glee Club.
KJ: Oh, I’m bad with names and still call alumnae by the nicknames I gave them from the choir. But Dr. Audrey Forbes Manley, actress Cassi Davis, provost Dr. Pamela E. Scott-Johnson and others who are not household names were a part of the club. Also, many former students have gone on to Broadway.
How can alumnae and friends of the College “ignite the spirit of legacy” and support the Glee Club?
KJ: We are about to mount our centennial giving season this fall to raise scholarships for students, with a concert at State Farm Arena that will feature the Morman Tabernacle Choir.
Two alumnae, Dr. Brittney Boykin, C’2011, assistant professor of music at Georgia Tech, and Sarah Stephens Benibo, C’2007, worship pastor at Embassy City Church in Dallas, shared a bit about their time as Glee Club members.
What are your fondest memories of the Glee Club?
BB: As Dr. Johnson’s accompanist, I wrote my first piece as a student, “Go Down, Moses,” for a composition class. Ten years later, I saw the Glee Club perform it with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and was overwhelmed. I never thought I could be a composer, and there are not a lot of Black women composers. But that’s what Spelman can do. The Glee Club really cultivated my love for choral music.
SB: There was a standard of sound, a standard of dress, a standard of character, and you wanted to uphold them for those who came before you. I remember during spring tours we actually had home-stays, where students spent nights in the homes of Spelman alumnae. They would open their doors to complete strangers and treat us like family. We had breakfast with them the next day, then got back on the road. That’s sisterhood.
Like so many before them, Boykin and Stephens Benibo made the choice of Spelman. Both made a choice to change the world. Stephens Benibo wrote the song about it.
As the final notes rise and fall at the Centennial Concert, one thing is clear — April 13, 2025 is more than a performance. It's a living testimony of tradition, excellence and the enduring power of song to connect generations. For Kevin T. Johnson, artist, writer, producer and son of Glee Club Director Dr. Kevin Johnson — the moment is deeply personal.
“When I think of the significance of the Glee Club's Centennial concert, what comes to mind is the Glee’s Club’s faithfulness to sing about Jesus Christ,” he reflected. “Because Spelman's enduring moniker is "Our Whole School for Christ," and I think that’s important in the Black community today more than ever because faith has gotten us through a lot of struggles and strife," said Johnson.
"Nowadays people don’t think about that because we have other problems to think about, but I think it’s important to sing about that and to not steer from it. One hundred years could very well become another 100 years if the Glee Club stays true to that and sings it beautifully,” he added.
Johnson’s relationship to the Glee Club is not just symbolic — it’s rooted in sound, legacy and love. A musician since the age of nine, he credits his father for shaping his musical foundation. “At that age, my dad hired me to play the drums at our church, and that role truly shaped my musicianship and approach to music,” he said.
This concert, for Johnson, is about more than melodies — it’s about mentorship and the full-circle moments that only time can create.
“It’s nice to see my dad continue to push the young ladies to do their very best for God's glory. The Glee Club is a good representation of that,” he said. “I’m glad to be a part of it too. It’s nice to have a relationship with my dad and to be connected in that way. I also saw my sisters attend college at Spelman and I was the young one. So now I see the members of Glee as my little sisters and I try to point them in the right direction.”
As past and present collide on the concert stage, Johnson is especially moved by the reunion of voices.
“I think the concert will be interesting because I’ll see a lot of generations of singers that I saw growing up, that I haven’t seen in a while. Seeing them connect with the generation of students that I’ve been around for the last few years -- that will be pretty awesome,” he added with a smile.
In many ways, the Centennial Concert is a chorus of legacy and light — where old hymns meet new harmonies, and where the faith that built this institution continues to shape its song.
Centennial Reunion Weekend
"The Spelman College Glee Club is an organization of excellence designed to amaze and inspire. It's amazing that 100 years of blood sweat and tears built on this organization of Black women, said Ryan Bates, C'2026. "The concert is more of a reunion to see generations and generations of Spelman women sing the songs we love to hear. Seeing my sisters who came before me now singing together as one in unity --- that’s what 100 years represents."