ABOUT GUESTS:
Donna Smith
Donna was born into a musical family. Her grandmother played piano into her late 80's. Her mother received her bachelor and Master of Music degrees from U of M with concentrations in voice, organ, and piano and worked as a musician until she was 85. Donna's mother was her first piano teacher, and her dad was constantly playing recordings of violin concertos and symphonies.
As a child, Donna spent two months at Interlochen's National Music Camp when she was six. There she studied piano and violin, played in an orchestra for the first time and attended live performances six nights a week! That experience, along with her strong musical roots, set her on a musical trajectory that she has never left.
After high school, Donna studied music at U of M and EMU. She became a tenured music educator in AAPS assigned primarily to instrumental music, but also spent some time in general and choral music positions. Donna loves singing and, among many experiences, has served as the Choral Recording Director for Friends Theological Seminary in Kaimosi, Kenya; a Choir Member and Soloist at Vancouver United Church of Christ in Vancouver, WA; the Chancel Choir President at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit; and as a Second Soprano at First Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor, MI.
LaVonte' L. Heard
LaVonté L. Heard is a sought-after clinician, having done masterclasses worldwide, reaching youth of all backgrounds. He is a dedicated Educator, serving as a music teacher in the Lansing School District and then the Arts Program Development Specialist. Mr. Heard transitioned out of Lansing Schools into the private sector in 2019 and founded Transcendence Vocal Arts Institute, which has grown in emphasis to become the Transcendence Performing Arts Centers, Inc., a growing network of schools and studios in Lansing, MI, and nationally. Mr. Heard's students have been heard in Concert Halls worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, the American Church in Paris, and the Municipal House in Prague, Czech Republic.
Mr. Heard has been lauded worldwide for his versatility in his Classical and "fiery" Gospel performances. "A thundering tenor" is how he was described by a well-wisher after his performance with the Jeremy Winston Chorale in Hamburg, Germany. His career has taken him all over the world, singing with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, Bach Society of Dayton, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Flint Symphony, and Sphinx Virtuosi. He has appeared in China, Europe, South America, and the United States. Carnegie Hall (New York), Severance Hall (Cleveland, OH), Lincoln Center (New York), Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Dome of Salzburg (Salzburg, Austria), Schloss Mirabell (Salzburg, Austria) Municipal House (Prague, Czech Republic) are among the many concert halls and venues where Heard has appeared.
Mr. Heard is a proud member of Exigence Vocal Ensemble, founded by Eugene Rogers and the Jeremy Winston Chorale International. He is also affiliated with the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the National Association of Negro Musicians, the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, and the Earl Nelson Singers Company of Lansing, MI. He is a graduate of The Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, with a degree in Vocal Performance. He received a Master of Education Degree in Educational Leadership degree from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, MI, and a Master's Degree in Choral Music Education from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Central Michigan University.
RESOURCES:
Willis C. Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale
Willis C. Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale on Facebook
Willis C. Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale on X (Twitter)
Willis C. Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale on YouTube
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU. And I'm David Fair, and welcome to this week's edition of Washtenaw United. We want to take another and renewed look at an organization that, for more than 50 years, has ensured that the African American concert spiritual not only survives but thrives. The Willis Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale continues to perform throughout Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, bringing those songs to life and providing educational opportunities for youngsters that will resonate for generations to come. I'm happy to say we have chorale director of the instructional program Donna Smith with us. Thank you so much for coming in today!
Donna Smith: It's good to be here, David!
David Fair: And musical director LaVonte' Heard. Thank you so much for sharing time with us!
LaVonte' Heard: My pleasure!
David Fair: Donna, when you first started about a year ago at the Our Own Thing Chorale, what knowledge of Dr. Patterson did you come to the organization with?
Donna Smith: Well, David, he is a pillar in our community. I first met him when I was a student at the University of Michigan School of Music, but I was aware of his musical impact in the culture by a historical recording of Amahl and the Night Visitors in which he had actually spoken with NBC, I believe it was, about why they hadn't had an African American in the position of one of the kings who was known to be dark-skinned.
David Fair: And, LaVonte', you work in the Lansing area, but, as of last month, took on the role of musical director of the Chorale. How familiar are you with Dr. Patterson, when you took the position?
LaVonte' Heard: I met Dr. Patterson, I think it was in 2018 at a concert, in fact, the inaugural concert of Exigence Vocal Ensemble. I am more familiar with his work. But since coming into the group, having had a chance to speak with him over the phone during a meeting and just kind of hear the vision that he had for starting the group and how he would love to see the group move forward has been very enriching.
David Fair: With both of you on board, there is a renewed focus on what there is to accomplish. So, Donna, as you look at what lay ahead, what is the Dr. Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale going to mean to the community?
Donna Smith: In our instructional program, we began teaching students from the age of five through their teens, through their high school years, last January on a variety of instruments: guitar, keyboard, flute, trombone, violin. But moving forward, given Dr. Patterson's amazing vocal legacy, we are excited about incorporating vocal lessons for middle school and high school students beginning in September of this year.
David Fair: LaVonte', there are attacks on diversity/equity/inclusion programs from the federal level of government. Because of the current climate in our country, if you feel it more urgent or important, to share just how vital this music is with the community.
LaVonte' Heard: Thank you. I don't think the vitality of the music and its performance is any more or less important than it always is. The struggle for equality and equity for all people has for, I would say, the last 300 years been our business and we have to continue to march on in that way. I think it was Dr. Isai Barnwell and the Sweet Honey in the Rock that would say, "We who believe in freedom can't rest until it comes." The presence of this music has been, I should say, ever present in all the conversations throughout dispensations of this great republic. I don't know if it's any more urgent. I think that the urgency has been there all along.
David Fair: And, Donna, as a music teacher working with youngsters, how do you help make that connection?
Donna Smith: I believe that it comes from generation to generation. I shared a term called "social reproduction" that I learned in a sociology class, and it's the idea of how do we pass things on from one generation to the next. So, by modeling, by mentorship, by hands-on teaching in small group situations, by taking the time to listen and know the generation that you're interacting with, so that a connection can be made in an investment by the next generation in this value tradition can actually happen.
David Fair: Washtenaw United and our conversation with Donna Smith and LaVonte' Heard continues on 89 one WEMU. Donna and LaVonte' come to us from the Willis Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale. And, LaVonte', what in life and music brought you to this line of work and to the Chorale?
LaVonte' Heard: I was exposed to this music very young. I have to say that probably 99% of Black musicians, especially singers, when you ask them, "How did you get your start?" A lot of them will say the Black church--that I like to call the first Black conservatory, the first conservatory where we learn to love music and do music. But I came from a different church tradition in that I was born in a Pentecostal apostolic church. We didn't have hymnals, except for one that was under the podium that the person just used for words. So, we didn't read music. We sang by ear, and we just kind of let the Holy Ghost move. But my great grandmother would take me to concerts for the now-historic Earl Nelson Singers Company. And the Earl Nelson Singers Company looked a lot like the Willis Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale in that they specialized in the concert spiritual. And a woman there who was the conductor, her name was Verna Holly. And my grandmother took me down to Mrs. Holly and she says, "You know, my grandson really loves music, and I think he should take piano lessons with you." And so, I did. By going to the concerts, I learned a lot about the concert spiritual. I couldn't have known that, years later, as I grew with Mrs. Holly, I would hear the first ever African American opera singer that I ever heard was also a graduate of the University of Michigan. His name was Darnell Ishmael, who actually was a former director of the Willis Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale. And I had never thought that an African American person could sing, what I was calling, that opera kind of singing. And so, as I kept going throughout school, they learned that I had a little bit of a voice. And because our music education department in the Lansing School district had been defunded, the members of the community all came together to pay for me to go to Michigan State University and take voice lessons with Richard Fracker. And I guess what brings me here is really that experience: going to one of the region's only HBCU, historically black colleges and universities--The Central State University.
David Fair: Funny how "the" comes out in Ohio all the time!
LaVonte' Heard: Yes! And so, that was a space that prepared me. And I think I am today a lot of how I am and who I am because of my HBCU experience.
David Fair: And, Donna, a public school teacher in Ann Arbor, you've taught music in home school situations. You live and operate in a world where pop music and hip hop is dominant. How do you create and then maintain the sense of interest and purpose to what this music is to all of us?
Donna Smith: That's a great question. Music is transcendental. I was thinking about how I was exposed to a variety of musical genres. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra held concerts for young people. My father visited jazz clubs in Detroit--Maker's Keyboard Lounge--and jazz clubs all over, and he shared that with us. But my dad is the person that introduced me to the Beethoven Violin Concerto, which is one of the most beautiful works of art I have ever heard. I feel that we innately have a capacity to appreciate beauty. And exposure is the beginning of that.
David Fair: LaVonte', how in your estimation does this music and participation in the Our Own Thing Chorale create bonds of community?
LaVonte' Heard: In short, everybody is going through something. Why not go through it together? Your experiences might not be my experiences, but everybody's experiencing something. Our intersections aren't all that different most of the time.
David Fair: LaVonte', you are just getting started. You had your first rehearsal recently with the chorale group. And, Donna, you are working with students. You have been for a year now looking to get more on board. So, what does 2025 hold?
Donna Smith: Well, our instructional program will go through June 3rd, in which we will present our second music makers session, which will be a collaboration of student performances and teacher performances. I think the best way to say this is it's a celebration. There's growth. There's learning. And it's a community!
David Fair: And, LaVonte', how did that first rehearsal go as you work towards a June performance?
LaVonte' Heard: It was electric! There was so much energy! The musical part--these folks can sing. When you get a new groove, you don't know what you're going to inherit, especially post-COVID. You'd never know. We'll just see where we are. And these folks can sing! And so, around June, probably mid-June, we'll have our first showcase, probably a full concert of things that we've been working on. And then, going into the fall, we'll have more programming there--so two big things! But I also think that you might be seeing us around for some little things too.
David Fair: Thank you both for being here and sharing the story of the chorale, and we look forward to what the future will hold! That is Donna Smith and LaVonte' Heard from the Dr. Willis Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale. Washtenaw United is produced in partnership with United Way for Southeastern Michigan. You hear it every Monday. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station 89 one WEMU FM, Ypsilanti.
WEMU has partnered with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to explore the people, organizations, and institutions creating opportunity and equity in our area. And, as part of this ongoing series, you’ll also hear from the people benefiting and growing from the investments being made in the areas of our community where there are gaps in available services. It is a community voice. It is 'Washtenaw United.'
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