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Music Celebration unites area choirs (For Photos of this year's Celebration, click here) (Jan. 16, 2007)The Alliance for African American Music in Habersham County will host its 16th annual Music Celebration at 3 p.m., Feb. 25, at the Piedmont College Center for Worship and Music in Demorest. The free event, entitled "Gifts from Black Spirituals," will feature Dr. James Abbington, associate professor of music and worship at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. Under Dr. Abbington's direction, a mass choir with participants from a number of area churches will sing hymns representative of African American spirituals and church music. Dr. Abbington is widely known for his extensive research in the areas of music and worship in the Christian church, especially African American sacred folk music, organ, and choral music. He is the Executive Editor of the African American Church Music Series published by GIA Publications, Inc. of Chicago. He conducted several choral recordings in the series, including "Beams of Heaven" released in 2006. The Alliance for African-American Music in Habersham County was established to present musical events that bring together people from different backgrounds. The Alliance is an outgrowth of the first African American music celebration produced through the efforts of Rev. Julian Lachicotte and Rev. G. B. Strickland in February 1990. The Alliance sponsors a musical celebration each year during Black History Month. Prior to the celebration, area students compete in art and poetry/essay contests based on the year's theme. Winners are honored during the event. Admission to the celebration is free; however, a "love offering" will be taken to help further the work of the Alliance, including the Lachicotte-Strickland Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded jointly with Piedmont College to minority students majoring in music. -30-
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