M. Roger Holland II
Teaching Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology
Director of The Spirituals Project at the University of Denver
Composer, Author, and Editor of the In Spirit and Truth Series
M. Roger Holland, II is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music where he received a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey where he majored in Music Education with a concentration in piano and voice.
He has toured nationally and internationally with The Boys Choir of Harlem and has worked with them as a conductor, pianist, instructor and arranger for several of their recordings. Roger served as Minister of Music at Our Lady of Charity Roman Catholic Church in Brooklyn, New York for 12 years and is Liturgical Music Consultant for the New York Archdiocese Office of Black Ministry and Music Director for their special masses at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Most recently he served as the Minister of Worship and Christian Arts at Calvary Baptist Church in Jamaica, New York. He has accompanied several local groups, including the Ebony Ecumenical Ensemble and has played for the Broadway production of Oprah Winfrey’s The Color Purple. As a clinician, he has presented workshops at numerous jazz festivals, McDonald’s Gospelfest, local churches and at the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference.
His commissioned works include “The Dream and The Dreamer”, “Down By The River”, commissioned by The Negro Spiritual Scholarship Foundation for their 9th Annual competition and gala; and The Tribulation Suite, a 4 movement work based on Negro Spirituals.
Roger’s Workshops
Thursday, July 10
The Gospel Truth About Negro Spirituals and Gospel Music
This session will dive into the two foundational sacred music forms created by African Americans – Negro Spirituals and Black gospel music. We will discuss the history of these music forms, their defining characteristics, and best practices for authentic performance of these genres.
3:05PM–4:20PM
Breakout 7
Location Pending
New Music from the In Spirit and Truth Series
The In Spirit and Truth series published by GIA highlights the Black music aesthetic with an emphasis on liturgical use and application. However, much of the music can be used in settings beyond specifically Catholic ones. Come hear the latest offerings in this vibrant series!
9:00AM–10:00AM
Reading Sessions
Location Pending
Friday, July 11
The Wisdom of the Spirituals: The Theology Behind the Songs
The African American community has long regarded Jesus as the bedrock of our faith. Upon hearing the Gospel message, the enslaved African community in the antebellum South created songs that expressed their faith and undergirded their belief in a God who was able to save and deliver, from sin as well as from tribulation.
The Spiritual “His Name So Sweet (I Just Come from the Fountain)” articulates how the community saw in Jesus a wellspring, a fountain, from which they could draw and depend. This session will mine the wisdom of the enslaved community found in their faith and in their music.