Nina Kennedy and Former Fisk Jubilee Singers Appear on "The Choir Loft" Show

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Lowri Marie on set for The Choir Loft show



Sopranos Lowri Marie and Kasey Porter shared the spotlight with Nina Kennedy at the MNN Studios in New York for a special taping of The Choir Loft, produced by Rhonda McClelland on February 24th. The topic for this show was the world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers of Nashville, Tennessee. The show opened with Lowri Marie performing the Spiritual Bye and Bye, and the tour de force Climb Ev‘ry Mountain by Richard Rodgers. She was then interviewed by Rhonda, reminiscing on her career as a singer and her work with the Fisk Jubilee Singers. 

Nina Kennedy - pianist, orchestral conductor, filmmaker





Rhonda then interviewed Nina Kennedy on her life and work as a pianist, orchestral conductor, and filmmaker. Since Nina’s parents were on the faculty at Fisk University, she practically grew up on the campus. Lowri Marie had a been a Fisk Jubilee Singer under the direction of Nina’s father Matthew Kennedy, who was the subject of the documentary film Matthew Kennedy: One Man’s Journey, produced and directed by Nina Kennedy.

Kasey Porter


After Nina’s interview, soprano Kasey Porter, who was a Fisk Jubilee Singer under their current director Paul Kwami, took the stage for her interview. She then performed the Spiritual Talk About a Child. After Kasey’s interview, the three women came together to share stories and memories in a lively discussion on how the Fisk Jubilee Singers had affected their lives. They reminisced about their travels with the group and the various celebrities who had performed with them, as well as relating factual information about the group’s history, including stories of Ella Sheppard – the matriarch of the original group of Fisk Jubilee Singers whose arrangement of a Spiritual was utilized by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák in his Symphony from the New World, and the story of Queen Victoria and her encounter with the group. It was a most informative and enlightening discussion.

Kasey Porter and her twin sister Kelsey with President Bill Clinton

Be on the lookout for the next April and Nina’s Salon Newsletter  for broadcast details for this show.

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