Everett McCorvey and the American Spiritual Ensemble

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The American Spiritual Ensemble, founded and directed by University of Alabama alumnus Dr. Everett McCorvey, will highlight the 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. “Realizing the Dream” concert at UA’s Moody Music Concert Hall, Saturday, Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for the performance are $15 and will go on sale at 8 a.m., Friday, Jan. 7 at the Moody Music Concert Hall box office. For ticket information, or a credit card purchase, call the box office at 205/348-7111.

McCorvey, Alumni Association Endowed Professor of Voice and director of opera at the University of Kentucky, founded the American Spiritual Ensemble in 1995. The ensemble, a group of 16 professional singers, performs spirituals and other compositions of African-American composers.

The group has presented more than 100 concerts including two tours of the United States, as well as tours and performances across Europe; it has also released three CDs: “On My Journey Now – The American Spiritual Ensemble on Tour,” “Ol’ Time Religion” and “Lily of the Valley.”

A native of Montgomery, McCorvey earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in music at UA, completing his doctorate in 1989. He joined the University of Kentucky faculty in 1991. A tenor, he has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Kennedy Center, Aspen Music Festival, Blossom Music Festival and numerous other venues. He has given concerts, master classes and workshops throughout Europe and Asia.

Local participants in the program will include students from Stillman College, Shelton State Community College, UA and the Tuscaloosa City Schools. About 50 students from the Tuscaloosa City Schools’ middle school honors choirs will perform two selections during the concert.

The annual “Realizing the Dream” event, sponsored by UA, Stillman and Shelton State, serves as a lasting tribute to the life and memory of Martin Luther King Jr. by presenting some of America’s best-known performers from the stage, screen and recording studio. Past performers have included Yolanda Adams, Al Green, Ossie Davis, Sidney Poitier, Roberta Flack, Harry Belafonte, Cicely Tyson, Take 6 and Tonea Stewart.