American Spiritual Ensemble
The American Spiritual Ensemble was founded by Everett McCorvey in 1995. The mission of the American Spiritual Ensemble is to keep the American Negro Spiritual alive. Its members have sung in theaters and opera houses around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and abroad in Italy, Germany, Britain, Scotland, Spain and Japan. The repertoire of the American Spiritual Ensemble ranges from opera to spirituals to Broadway. The members of the American Spiritual Ensemble are soloists in their own right and the vocalists have thrilled audiences around the world with their dynamic renditions of classic spirituals, jazz and Broadway numbers highlighting the Black experience.
Everett McCorvey, founder and director, is a native of Montgomery, Alabama. He received his degrees from the University of Alabama, including a Doctorate of Musical Arts. As a tenor soloist, Dr. McCorvey has performed in major centers around the world including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, Radio City Music Hall in New York and in England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, Hungary, Poland and the Czech and Slovak Republics. During the summers, Dr. McCorvey is on the artist faculty of the American Institute of Musical Study (AIMS) in Graz, Austria and the Intermezzo Opera Program in Palm Beach, Florida. Dr. McCorvey holds an Endowed Chair in Opera Studies and is Director of Opera at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. McCorvey was recently announced as the Executive Producer of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the Alltech 2010 World Equestrian Games to be held in Lexington, Kentucky in September of 2010. The Alltech 2010 World Equestrian Games will be the largest equestrian event to ever be held in the United States.