The mission of the American Spiritual Ensemble is to preserve and continue the tradition of storytelling through the performance and preservation of the American negro spiritual. Performing these spirituals serves as a tribute to the many lives lost or destroyed during slavery in the United States; a horrible time for human kind. These songs, a combination of African, American, and European traditions, create a new type of melody in which a sense of identification was created within the enslaved community. These songs now stand as a testament of the strength found through faith during times of hardship as well as a unifying force among all peoples. These songs are beloved all around the world.

The American Spiritual Ensemble commits to aiding in the preservation of these beautiful melodies through performances worldwide as well as through education in the form of: lectures, master classes and vocal instruction for educational, religious, and community institutions worldwide. 

The American Spiritual Ensemble was founded in 1995 in order to maintain and honor the music pioneered by enslaved African people. ASE is a critically-acclaimed ensemble that is dedicated to performing provocative, dynamic concerts around the world celebrating the American negro spiritual.

The American Spiritual Ensemble participates in a wide range of concert formats, allowing both performers and listeners to experience the beautiful melodies of our past as well as the history of African Americans in different ways. ASE has had the opportunity to perform in the following formats: 

• Spirituals: classical arrangements of traditional American negro spirituals in choral and solo format

• Broadway: selections of Broadway pieces that highlight the African-American experience as well as celebrate human perseverance through faith

• Jazz: jazz music that was composed, arranged, or written by African-American artists

AMERICAN SPIRITUAL ENSEMBLE
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2023, 3 p.m.
Secrest Auditorium 334 Shinnick St, Zanesville, OH 43701