Voices of Inspiration: Opera Singer Brings African American Spiritual Traditions to Oshkosh Students

Oshkosh Area School District middle and high school students met with award-winning opera singer, Maria Clark, to learn about the vocal technique and historical impact of African American spirituals.

The Vel Phillips choirs sing in the atrium in front of Maria Clark and an audience.

In a powerful fusion of music, history, and cultural education, acclaimed opera soprano Maria Clark transformed classrooms in the Oshkosh Area School District during an innovative two-day residency in early December 2024. Through vocal masterclasses and cultural discussions, Clark not only taught students about African American spirituals but also opened their eyes to the profound historical and emotional significance of this musical tradition.

On December 2 and 3, students from Vel Phillips Middle School, as well as Oshkosh North and Oshkosh West High Schools experienced an extraordinary musical journey. Supported by ArtsCore, the SOAR* grant, and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (UWO) music department, the program - titled “The African American Spiritual Experience” - went far beyond a typical music workshop. 

Dr. Phong Nguyen, choir director at Vel Phillips Middle School and UWO lecturer orchestrated the unique opportunity - having first met Ms. Clark while he was an undergraduate student at Georgia State University. Dr. Nguyen remarked that Ms. Clark, who was a graduate student at the time, had inspired him with both her vocal talents and their discussions about music.

Ms. Maria Clark smiles with a Vel Phillips choir student in the atrium.

Throughout her career, Ms. Clark found great success as both a classical singer and African American spiritual vocalist. Winning awards from nationally and internationally recognized musical organizations, as well as recently co-producing an album entitled, Soul Sanctuary: Spirituals & Hymns, Ms. Clark established herself as a versatile and noteworthy musician. Currently a voice professor at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, Ms. Clark is also an experienced music educator, previously having served for five years as the coordinator of applied lessons and vocal studies at Spelman College - one of the nation’s top-ranked Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The African American Spiritual Experience, featured vocal masterclasses for Vel Phillips and Oshkosh North choir students, as well as cultural discussions with members of the Black Student Unions (BSUs) from Vel Phillips, Oshkosh North and Oshkosh West.

Check out the photo gallery HERE!

Bridging Music and History


During the vocal masterclasses, Ms. Clark presented a brief history of African American spirituals* - from their origins during slavery to their role during the civil rights movement and their current usage in society today.

“Spirituals have helped us to get through life and helped us to get through adversity in many situations throughout history,” explained Ms. Clark. “During slavery, the enslaved did not have anything except for the songs they had in their hearts and souls. They sang spirituals while they worked in the fields and used the songs to give encrypted messages to each other, sometimes depicting plans to escape slavery through the underground railroad. During the civil rights movement, a lot of spirituals were used as ‘freedom songs’ to give people strength and power when they were facing racism. Even today, I use spirituals to help me get through life. People of all ages and races can listen to spirituals and find comfort in them. Spirituals are universal, and I think they help make the world a better place.”

Student Performances and Learning

The North choir performs a spiritual song for Ms. Clark at Oshkosh North.

After the presentation at each school, students had the opportunity to perform spirituals for Ms. Clark and the attending audiences. At Vel Phillips Middle School, seventh and eighth-grade choir students performed “Elijah Rock” arranged by Jester Hairston, and “Keep Your Lamps” arranged by Andre Thompson. During the masterclass held at Oshkosh North, high school choir students performed “Battle of Jericho” arranged by Moses Hogan, and were later joined by the Vel Phillips choirs for a combined performance of “Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit” arranged by William L. Dawson.

“I loved singing ‘Keep Your Lamps’ because the harmonies sounded amazing and it was really enjoyable for me to sing as an alto,” said Wren, eighth-grade choir student at Vel Phillips. “It was a fun song to sing and I liked that we could add some soul into the music.”

Ms. Maria Clark sings for students at Vel Phillips and motions with her hand to elongate a note.

After a run through of each song, Ms. Clark offered students corrections to their vocal performance and shared her expertise of how to sing the pieces with authenticity and attention to the detail. Ms. Clark challenged students to connect to the emotions within the songs and embrace the dynamic techniques required to sing them.

“Ms. Clark helped a lot with articulation,” Wren described, “Getting into the rhythm was very important for the piece, and I think it added a whole lot to our performance.”

Reflecting on the vocal masterclass experiences his choir students participated in, Dr. Nguyen noted significant improvement in the students’ performances. “I see more intent in how my student's perform now. They are adding flavor and soul to their sound. Much like Ms. Clark asked them, ‘I need you to put some hot sauce into those greens!’” Dr. Nguyen explained. “Text and rhythmic infliction is much clearer. They are singing with a bigger sound. All things that would make any choir director happy.”

Beyond Music: Inspiring Futures


The residency wasn't limited to musical instruction. Ms. Clark also met with the participating schools’ Black Student Unions (BSUs), sharing her professional journey and inspiring students to embrace opportunities.

Ms. Clark and Dr. Nguyen speak to Oshkosh West BSU members in the little theater at West High.

Prior to the meeting, BSU members prepared questions for Ms. Clark about her career as a Black vocal performance professional, challenges she has faced in her life and career, as well as advice about how to be a successful individual after high school. Ms. Clark shared about her upbringing and journey through her musical career, and answered students’ questions in an open discussion directly following.

Three eighth-grade students, involved in both the Vel Phillips Middle School BSU and eighth-grade choir, reflected on the discussion and the impact it had on them.

Ms. Clark and Dr. Nguyen speak to the North BSU in the Oshkosh North auditorium.

“Hearing Ms. Clark’s experience did affect how I look towards the future,” stated Eyragence. “A lot of the time, you think there are things that you can’t do when you grow up. As she explained, Ms. Clark didn’t know that she wanted to be a classical singer, but she got the chance to, so I think that maybe we will have more opportunities available to us in the future than we know about.” 

“It’s pretty inspiring how she is one of the very few African American women who are classical singers,” added Tayveanna. “I think when an opportunity comes to you, even if it's something new, it’s worth trying. Even if you might not like it at first, you could end up loving it.”

“I was really excited and inspired by the stories Ms. Clark shared of the people who helped her in her life and how she found success,” said Soliana. “It was inspiring because you don’t normally hear about how people get to where they are - especially people of color. You usually hear about what they accomplish, but not about how they got there or how emotional their journey was.”

Clark's Vision for Students

When asked about the key ideas she hoped for students to take away from The African American Spiritual Experience series, Ms. Clark explained, “I hope that students take away that they can do anything in life that they set their minds to. They can do something that they thought impossible or hard to do, and they can open themselves up to discovering new things that might interest them. I hope they can tap into their creativity, and maybe by doing so, they’ll find something within themselves that they didn’t know they had, but could change the world.”

A Lasting Impact

A Vel Phillips Black Student Union member smiles while listening to Ms. Clark speak at Vel Phillips.

The African American Spiritual Experience series concluded with a final masterclass with the Oshkosh Chamber Singers at UWO, and culminated in a free, public recital of the songs from Ms. Clark’s Soul Sanctuary album at the UWO Recital Hall on the evening of Wednesday, December 5.

Dr. Nguyen summed up the experience perfectly: "I am so proud of the students at Vel Phillips Middle School, and at both high schools, who took part in this project. They exceeded my expectations showing dedication, integrity, and a thirst for knowledge."

The Oshkosh Area School District would like to extend its gratitude to Ms. Maria Clark for visiting our schools and sharing her expertise and talents with our students. Memorable learning experiences and opportunities to connect with inspiring and successful individuals have a lasting impact on how students view their education and shape their future career goals. We deeply appreciate the collaboration of Ms. Clark, Dr. Nguyen, ArtsCore, SOAR and the UWO music department to make this enriching experience possible for our students.

 

*Special Opportunities for Artistic Residencies (SOAR) - a non-profit organization run entirely by a volunteer board to provide Oshkosh students opportunities to experience music, art, literature, and drama from artists, writers, and performers of both local and national renown.

*African American spirituals - a type of religious folksong that is most closely associated with the enslavement of African people in the American South. The genre blends christian themes with elements of West African music, serving as a way to express the hardships of slavery while also containing powerful themes of hope, perseverance, and liberation.