INTRODUCING THE
DOROTHY COTTON JUBILEE SINGERS
The Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers (DCJS) was founded in 2010 by Dr. Baruch Whitehead, associate professor of music education at Ithaca
College, and is dedicated to the preservation of the "Negro Spirituals." This group of community singers, directed by Dr. Whitehead, was named in
honor of current Ithaca resident Dorothy Cotton, civil rights pioneer who served as education director for the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Currently, the DCJS perform at two semi-annual concerts, as invited participants for numerous
community events and organizations (in both Ithaca and beyond), and as part of formal programs at Ithaca College and Cornell University. The
programs at Ithaca College and Cornell have often been in conjunction with celebrations of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and Black History
Month.
While the main focus of the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers is to share the
music of the "Negro Spirituals" with others, there is a substantial educational
piece that is woven into the fabric of our singing. At our concerts, our director
Baruch Whitehead often introduces the different songs with narration about
their hidden meanings, history, or significance to enslaved Africans of the time.
Sometimes we have a more formal presentation of some aspect of the history
of the spirituals. For example, at our May, 2012 concert, Paula E. F. Younger
presented a narrative about the connection between the words of some of the
spirituals with the Underground Railroad, which offered a secret route to
freedom in the North for African slaves; she did another presentation about
Sojourner Truth in connection with a song featuring her words, which the DCJS
performed at the Ithaca College program celebrating Black History Month on
February 22, 2013.
Participation in the DCJS also serves as an educational opportunity for numerous Ithaca College students who have been part of the singing
group since the fall of 2012. Some have conducted songs for our concerts, some have made original arrangements for us to sing, some have sung
solos, some have helped with weekly rehearsals by providing voice lessons before rehearsals or running sectionals during rehearsals that facilitate
our learning of new songs. While not formally connected to our group, children from the Southside Afterschool Music Program presented a concert
in connection with our Spring Concert at Southside in April 2013. Finally, the diversity of the membership of the chorus encourages interaction
among individuals of varying ages, heritage, and backgrounds. All of the singers in the DCJS look forward to continuing our educational role in
connection with this powerful music. In addition, we look forward to learning more about how we could make a meaningful contribution to the
work of the CUMEP in the Ithaca area.
WHAT’S NEW WITH DCJS?
DIRECTOR
DR. BARUCH WHITEHEAD
The Dorothy
Cotton
Jubilee
Singers
have noted
with
sadness the
passing of
their
namesake and spiritual
muse, Dorothy Cotton, on
Sunday, June 10th, 2018.
HELP US KEEP OUR
CONCERTS FREE!
Donate and become a friend of the
Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers
ALSO PLEASE VISIT OUR SHOP
PAGE AND SUPPORT DCJS !
DCJS SPRING 2018 MINI TOUR
TO TORONTO AND BUFFALO
DCJS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation
with grant support from:
• The Community Arts Partnership
• The New York State Council on the Arts
• The Tompkins County Tourism Program
• The Kraut Family Fund of the Community Foundation
• The Hess Legacy Fund of the Community Foundation
CONGRATULATIONS TO
DOROTHY COTTON
AND THE DCJS SINGERS!
The Mayor of the City of Ithaca and
the the Tompkins County Legislature
issued a proclamation
declaring May 12th
“Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers Day”
MORE ABOUT THE DOROTHY COTTON JUBILEE SINGERS
The DCJS prepare for a concert
A short biography of Dorothy Cotton
The DCJS perform "No Mo"
© The Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers , P.O. Box 61, Ithaca, NY 14851-0061
email: dcjs.choir@gmail.com