B-CU Concert Chorale Releases New CD
On Thursday, May 3, 2018, the Bethune-Cookman University Concert Chorale will release its long-awaited new CD, “Hold Fast to Dreams,” a collection of Negro spirituals, on the University’s student-run record label, HBCU Records, which is the only student-run record label at an HBCU.
The Concert Chorale is currently under the direction of Terrance Lane, and the new CD was produced by HBCU Records, a part of the Mike Curb Music Business, Entertainment and Sports Institute at B-CU. The new CD was directed by Damon Dandridge, who served as Concert Chorale director from 2015 – 2017.
The idea to record a new CD for the Concert Chorale originated from conversations between Dr. Pam Browne, executive director of the Curb Institute and Dr. Hiram Powell, dean of the Dr. LaDoris McClaney School of Performing Arts and Communications. The Curb Institute, under the direction of Browne, assembled a team to produce and engineer the Concert Chorale recording. The project’s creative team includes Darryl Tookes, who served as co-producer, and is a celebrated songwriter, producer and recording artist. His work as an artist charted in the top 10 on Billboard Magazine. Tookes has worked with many icons in the music industry, including Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Whitney Houston, Sting and Leonard Bernstein, to name a few.
University members of the production team include associate producers, Steve Sharples, Gloria Hawkins and Kris Browne; recording engineers, Sylvester Polk and Benjamin Harris; Concert Chorale Director Damon Dandridge; collaborative artist Terrance Lane and assistant engineers Ania Ashley, Kenneth Conley, Ricky Brown, Andrew Mack and Marquis Thompkins. The recording was mastered by acclaimed engineer Bob Katz with Digital Domain.
The Concert Chorale project was funded by donations from the Mike Curb Family Foundation and Bethune-Cookman University. The recording will be available for download and streaming, beginning Thursday, May 3, 2018, on all major platforms, including iTunes and Spotify, and for purchase as a CD from the following: curbinstitute@cookman. lanet@cookman.edu and other retailers to be announced.
The Curb Institute is working with retail and online outlets to promote the CD during June, which is Black History Month. This will generate fall performance dates for the Concert Chorale to continue promotion of the CD when the students return in August.
A release-day reception is planned from 12 – 2 p.m. in the Wilson Rotunda of the Rufus L. & Janice M. Wilson College of Liberal Arts located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. For more information, contact Pamela Browne at curbinstitute@cookman.edu or 386-481-2858.