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• 1 media/IMG_20200130_110146818.jpg 2020-04-27T10:10:25-07:00 Albert J. McNeil 5 gallery 2020-06-23T14:35:45-07:00 Albert John Joseph McNeil is an American choral conductor, ethnomusicologist, author, and founder of the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers. His career has been dedicated to upholding choral music traditions with the presentation of Negro spirituals and concert music by African American composers. He is Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of California, Davis, where he was director of choral activities for 22 years and headed the Music Education Program.
  
  McNeil was born Alfredo Morales Sanchez on February 14, 1920 in Los Angeles. He was adopted by John and Rodia McNeil, former vaudeville and minstrel show performers. He grew up in Watts with his two sisters, Dorothea and Rena. McNeil's adopted parents maintained friendships with a variety of musical and theatrical artists in Los Angeles, including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Lionel Hampton, as well as distinguished names in choral music such as Hall Johnson and Jester Hairston. McNeil was frequently called upon by Central Casting of Hollywood to be the on-set choral assistant whenever they needed black singers or background actors, including Porgy and Bess, Carmen Jones, and The Land of the Pharaohs. McNeil earned his undergraduate University of California, Los Angeles in 1942 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education and teaching credentials in elementary and secondary education. Soon after, he was awarded his master's degree in choral conducting from UCLA. In 1953, McNeil married Helen Rambo. Their son, Richard "Ricky" John McNeil, was born 1959.
  
  In 1968, McNeil was invited to teach courses in music education and direct the choral ensembles at the University of California at Davis. He was the head of the music education program and director of choral activities for 21 years, and took the UC Davis chorus to England, France, Russia, China, Tahiti, and Australia. While at Davis, spent 10 years as the director for the Sacramento Chorale and co-founded the Sacramento symphony chorus.
  
  In 1968, inspired by the renown Fisk Jubilee Singers, McNeil founded the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers. The Singers have traveled the globe on 18 European tours, 12 tours of the United States and Canada, tours of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America, and were selected three times to serve the U.S. State Department and USIS Cultural Exchange Program. They have played a significant role in the development of African American sacred music traditions in the United States and are among the most honored singing ensembles in the world.
  
  In addition to his teaching and work with the Jubilee Singers, McNeil was active in the church choir community. While McNeil was a student at UCLA he directed the church choirs at the First Baptist Church and the People's Independent Church of Christ. He was Minister of Music at the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles for over 30 years, as well as the Director of Music at the Founder’s Church of Religious Science.
  
  McNeil retired from UC Davis in 1990. In retirement, he devoted much of his time to the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers and their tours. In 2003, McNeil was inducted as a "Living Legend" into the California State University Dominguez Hills Georgia and Nolan Payton Archive of African Diaspora Sacred Music and Musicians. Explore the Albert J. McNeil Collection.
  
  
• 1 media/IMG_20200130_105947788.jpg 2020-04-27T09:57:26-07:00 Don Lee White 5 gallery 2020-06-23T14:39:55-07:00 Don Lee White was born in Los Angeles, CA, on October 25, 1926 and attended both Los Angeles City College and California State University, Los Angeles before earning his Master’s degree in Music in 1958 from the University of Southern California (USC) where he majored in Church Music. White completed graduate work towards his doctorate in Musical Arts at both USC and Stanford University, and was given an honorary doctorate in 1984 by the University of Monrovia, West Africa. In his early career, he served as organist for New Hope Baptist Church before accepting the position as college organist and Professor of Music at Prairie View A. & M. for five years. Upon his return to Los Angeles he taught organ, piano, choral music, conducting and music appreciation at California State University, Los Angeles for 27 years.
  
  White also served as the organist and musical director of the Grant African Methodist Church, Los Angeles, for over 38 years. Under his leadership, the Grant A.M.E. adult choir achieved national recognition for their musical versatility. Under his leadership, the adult choir of Grant A.M.E. Church gained substantial recognition for their versatility in music and professional performances throughout the United States and has several recordings. White also served as director of music for the Southern California Conference Fifth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Church for 15 years and served eight years as associate director for the Connectional Music Department for the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
  
  In 1988, White took a leave of absence from Grant A.M.E. and organized the D.L.W. Community Chorale, whose purpose is to perform the extended compositions of African American composers. White preferred anthems, cantatas, and opera, saying “The smooth performance of the classical sacred music is something the musicians of today should strive to keep alive and valued for future generations”. White was an active member in many music organizations, among them the National Association of Negro Musicians and the American Chorale Directors Association. In addition he was often requested to give lectures and workshops across the country.
  
  In 2008, White was inducted as a "Living Legend" into the California State University Dominguez Hills Georgia and Nolan Payton Archive of African Diaspora Sacred Music and Musicians (ADSMM). He passed away on September 16, 2010. Explore the Don Lee White Collection.