Beginnings of the Dillard University Choir

By John Kennedy

The Dillard University Concert Choir, which has planned a Spring Tour during March 21-April 1, poses with its Director Mr. John M. Kuypers, Visiting Professor of Music.

New Orleans University Choir 1927 - 1928

The Dillard University Concert Choir, which has planned a Spring Tour during March 21-April 1, poses with its Director Mr. John M. Kuypers, Visiting Professor of Music.

Straight College Choir 1930 - 1931

Dillard University is the product of a merger made manifest in 1930. Through the legacy of its predecessors Straight University - 1869 (Later Straight College 1915) and New Orleans University -1872, Dillard University venerates centuries of African American fortitude in the realm of musicianship, musical performance, and professionalism. Straight College and New Orleans University fostered vibrant and successful music programs. As pioneering institutions of higher education amongst African Americans, both Straight and New Orleans University cultivated music spaces through academia, but also exposure to all that encompassed Black music and theory. These institutions prioritized the works of African American composers of the period. A significant gesture in the enlightenment of fertile African American minds eager to hone their craft and mold the outcomes of their people. Both institutions sought to intentionally use music as a means of liberation, moreover, the clarion call signifying New Orleans would be hub of Black music of all genres, especially, via Dillard University.
The Dillard University Concert Choir, which has planned a Spring Tour during March 21-April 1, poses with its Director Mr. John M. Kuypers, Visiting Professor of Music.

New Orleans University Music Study Club 1927 - 1928

The Dillard University Concert Choir, which has planned a Spring Tour during March 21-April 1, poses with its Director Mr. John M. Kuypers, Visiting Professor of Music.

Straight College Orchestra 1930 - 1931

May it be conveyed that the Dillard University Concert Choir has been an intricate aspect of the university since its opening in 1935. The university’s appreciation and dedication to the arts were not coincidental, but rather the culmination of determined visionaries who possessed an unwavering foresight of the grand nature of its possibilities. Thus, the Dillard University Concert Choir is a tangible reflection of such foresight. Furthermore, its continued success is a momentous homage to its forebears.
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