CAPE Lecture Series
Spring 2025
Hidden Gems: Coded Messages in the Negro Spirituals
Date: Thursday, March 27th
Time: 10:30am
Place: Kendal at Ithaca and via Zoom
Description: In this engaging lecture, Professor Baruch Whitehead will explore the profound and often hidden meanings within the music of enslaved people from Africa to America. Participants will not only hear these powerful songs but also learn about the coded messages embedded within them—messages of hope, resistance, and survival. This exploration will highlight how these hidden gems continue to hold relevance for our lives today, offering lessons for all of humanity.
Bio:
Baruch J. Whitehead, Ph.D.
Professor of Music Education, Ithaca College
Founding Director, Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers
Professor of Music Education, Ithaca College
Founding Director, Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers
Dr. Baruch J. Whitehead is a professor of music education at Ithaca College and the founding director of the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers (DCJS), an ensemble dedicated to the preservation of the Negro spiritual and its profound legacy in American history. Since 2010, Dr. Whitehead has led DCJS in performances that celebrate African American sacred music as a powerful tool for promoting social justice and racial healing. The chorus has performed at prestigious venues, including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Mother’s Day in 2017, and made its Carnegie Hall debut under his direction in March 2022, alongside the renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers.
Dr. Whitehead also founded the Orff-Schulwerk Certification Program at Ithaca College and Marshall University, a music education approach that views music as an essential, natural system akin to language. He currently directs the annual Orff Certification Training Course at Boston University, sharing his expertise in dynamic, student-centered music pedagogy.
His areas of expertise include:
- Diversity in Music Education
- Gospel Music and Its Preservation within Mainstream Musical Settings
- Music of the African Diaspora
- Music of the Civil Rights Movement
As a sought-after speaker and workshop presenter, Dr. Whitehead has contributed to numerous state, national, and international conferences, including:
- The International Arts and Humanities Conference in Honolulu
- National conferences for MENC, NYSSMA, NJMEA, and the American Orff-Schulwerk Association
- The International Music Education Conference in Tenerife, Spain
- The Society of Music in Porto Alegre, Brazil
- The World Music Village in Helsinki, Finland
He has directed ensembles such as the “Unshackled” Gospel Choir in Syracuse, the SUNY Cortland Gospel Choir, and the “Voices” Multicultural Chorus, and has served as a clinician, conductor, and adjudicator in the U.S. and abroad, including in Belgium, Brazil, and Central New York. With a background in both marching band and concert band, he has 15 years of teaching experience in these areas.
Dr. Whitehead is also an active peace activist. He presented a peace concert with renowned Israeli composer and performer Yair Dalal, featuring youth from Muslim and Jewish communities. His original work, the “Peace Cantata,” premiered at Ithaca College’s Celebration and during the 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. Service for the Ithaca City School District.
He is the author of several academic papers, including a chapter on the music of the civil rights movement in Music and Conflict Transformation: Harmonies and Dissonances in Geopolitics (2008). His lecture, “Hidden Gems: Coded Messages in the Negro Spirituals,” delves into the history and enduring relevance of music created by enslaved Africans in America, exploring how these spirituals served as coded messages of hope, resistance, and liberation.
Awards and Recognitions:
- Henry Highland Garnet Lodge #40 Dorianthia Chapter Award (2016, 2021)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award (2015)
- Southside Community Spirit Award (2014)
- Ithaca College Excellence in Service Award (2005, 2014)
- Shirley M. Collado Faculty Service Award (2020)
- Ithaca College Excellence in Teaching Award (2022)
Education:
- Ph.D. – Capella University
- M.F.A. – University of Florida
- B.A. and B.M.E. – University of Cincinnati
Dr. Whitehead’s work continues to inspire communities, students, and educators, championing the transformative power of music as a force for cultural connection, education, and social change.
How to Attend
In Person
Auditorium at Kendal of Ithaca (2230 N Triphammer Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850)
Come 30 minutes prior for refreshments and great company!
Join by Zoom
The Zoom link will be sent to CAPE members via email.
Instructions
- Instructions to use Zoom with a CU NetID
- Instructions to use Zoom without a CU NetID
- Cornell IT Zoom webpage for further troubleshooting
Watch the Recording Later
Videos of lectures are available approximately 3 weeks after the event.
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