Randye Jones on Negro Spirituals

Soprano and researcher Randye Jones, accompanied by pianist Marlys Grimm, will present two free public performances in April:

• “Interpreting the Negro Spiritual in Classical Vocal Performance,” 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, Lawson Lecture Hall, Bucksbaum Center for the Arts
• Recital “Dat Promised Lan’,” 4 p.m. Sunday, April 19, Herrick Chapel

In a lecture/recital, “Interpreting the Negro Spiritual in Classical Vocal Performance,” Jones will discuss how several composers used this American folk music as source material for their songs and explain some of the decisions musicians must make in performing the works. Jones and pianist Marlys Grimm will perform works by H.T. Burleigh, John Carter, Robert MacGimsey, Moses Hogan and Hale Smith to demonstrate how interpretive decisions can dramatically affect the musical presentation of spiritual settings.

“Dat Promised Lan’ ” is a recital of spirituals that contains select songs from Jones’ The Art of the Negro Spiritual project that explore how this American folk music has been reset for performance on the concert stage. Jones and Grimm will perform works by Roland Hayes, Hall Johnson, Carter, Burleigh, Julia Perry, Hogan, Uzee Brown Jr. and R. Nathaniel Dett.

“The spiritual is an original American music,” Jones said. “Its impact on other music styles—from gospel to popular music—continues to this day. What we are presenting in these programs represents how composers have used the spiritual to create an art song for the classical musician.”

Jones holds her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Florida State University, Tallahassee. She is currently a doctoral student in Vocal Literature at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Jones has gained recognition for her research of and published writings on African American vocalists and composers and as a performer and lecturer through her project, The Art of the Negro Spiritual.

She regularly presents lecture-recitals and concerts at events such as the Research, Education, Activism and Performance National Conference on Spirituals, African American Art Song Alliance Conference and the Phenomenon of Singing International Symposium VIII in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Jones serves as the Burling media room supervisor on the library staff at Grinnell College.


Grimm attended Sheldon High School and Central College, where she studied piano with Donald Gren. She has collaborated at Dordt, Northwestern, Grinnell, and Central colleges in student and faculty recitals. Grimm has accompanied high school, college, community and professional singers, instrumentalists and choruses throughout Iowa and for National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions. With husband, Norm, conducting, she has played for numerous conferences, district and regional choral festivals, including the 1993 Opus Boys Honor Choir. Grimm is currently the accompanist for the Grinnell Oratorio Society and staff accompanist at Newton High School.

For more information about the performances, call 641-821-0188. Grinnell welcomes and encourages the participation of people with disabilities. Accommodation requests may be made to Conference Operations.