After 50 years, the Brazeal Dennard Chorale's musical mission is still going strong

Rosilyn Stearnes-Brown knows a thing or two about greatness.

At the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.; at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, and at Detroit’s own Comerica Park are plaques that attest to the greatness of her father, the late Norman Thomas “Turkey” Stearnes. His career included a nine-year stint (1923-31) with the Detroit Stars of the Negro National League where he excelled as a graceful center fielder, speedy base runner and a power hitter with a .349 lifetime batting average.

And anytime Stearnes-Brown even says the word “dad,” a smile quickly creeps across her face. But for a period of time on Tuesday evening, Stearnes-Brown was smiling for a different reason, as she and a few more than 50 others exited Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church following a rehearsal by Detroit's reknowned Brazeal Dennard Chorale.

“We’re a different kind of group; we’re one of a kind,” Stearnes-Brown, an alto, proclaimed about the Chorale, which was founded in 1972 by Dr. Brazeal Dennard (Jan. 1, 1929-July 5, 2010), who was a distinguished Detroit Public Schools music teacher, who also served as director of the district’s music department and was a part-time instructor at Wayne State University. “We can perform any type of music and we give our audiences a performance that they won’t hear anywhere else.”

On Tuesday, the versatile Chorale, which has a very specific cultural mission to “remember, discover, preserve, and share the Negro spiritual as a part of the artistic community, and to rediscover and perform significant choral works by African American composers,” was preparing for two upcoming Detroit performances that are a part of the group’s 50th anniversary celebration this month — Jubilee Gala (June 23 at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center) and a Brazeal Dennard Chorale Reunion Concert (June 25 at Tabernacle). A day earlier, Stearnes-Brown likened the Chorale’s musical journey to the trailblazers that played baseball in the Negro Leagues.

“The Negro Leaguers played until they were 40 and 50 for the love of the game, and we perform for the love of the music,” said Stearnes-Brown, a proud product of Cass Tech’s music program (Class of June 1964), who this year displayed her literary skills by publishing “Fans Called Him ‘Turkey,’ I Called Him Dad,” where she honors her father’s entire Hall of Fame career, which spanned three decades. “My dad has been compared to Ty Cobb and he played with some of the best players in the world. And in the same way Brazeal wanted to break stereotypes for African American singers and musicians about the types of music we’re able to perform, while also honoring our composers.”

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When Stearnes-Brown says that the Chorale is “one of the top-of-the-line groups in the country, if not the world,” she's not just using hyperbole. There are the gold and silver medals the group won in the spiritual music competition and mixed chamber music category, respectively, during the 2012 World Choir Games that featured groups representing 70 countries from across the globe. Dr. Theodore Jones was among the Chorale members that made the trek to Cincinnati for the event, which was being held in the United States for the first time. More than 10 years later, Jones still is quick to express his gratitude for the experience, while also explaining the special role the group has played in his adult life.

“I have lived here the longest I have lived anywhere, and the Chorale has been a part of the rhythm of my life,” said the 66-year-old Jones, a native of Philadelphia, who joined the Chorale in 1990 shortly after his arrival in Detroit. “What drew me in is that they had a really top-flight group of singers that performed at such a high standard, which intrigued and challenged me.”

Jones says the Chorale’s upcoming performances in Detroit will provide an opportunity to do something he truly enjoys — connecting with people who are being introduced to the music for the first time, while paying tribute to the person most responsible for the “magical experiences” the group has created through the years.

“Brazeal was a master educator and a master communicator,” said Jones, the director of maternal fetal medicine at Corewell Health Dearborn Hospital. “And the music directors that have followed him have maintained the standard he set, which is why the Chorale is seen as one of the city’s cultural gems.”

Alice McAllister Tillman learned directly from the master as a student at Northwestern High School (Class of 1982), where she first met Dennard and accepted his “challenge to be extraordinary” after being under the tutelage of another respected educator, Gloria Hicks. Tillman, a versatile soprano with a repertoire that includes art songs, operatic arias, Negro spirituals, musical theater and jazz, says it was Dennard who “noticed something” in her and helped Tillman to develop a God-given gift, which has taken her to concert halls and recital stages across North America.

On June 5, the joyful tone of the celebrated soloist couldn't be denied, as Tillman described life-changing experiences during her high school days that put her on track for future success. There was being selected for prestigious music programs at the Interlochen Center for the Arts and ultimately winning a music scholarship to the University of Michigan, where she studied with Willis Patterson and went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in vocal performance, along with a state of Michigan teacher certification. Through those experiences, Tillman said she often drew strength from Dennard.

“If you were a student of Brazeal Dennard, you were pushed to be great,” said Tillman, who grew up on Wreford Street near Linwood and Lawton and attended Woodward Elementary and McMichael Junior High before coming to Northwestern. “He believed we could do it, so we did it.”

Despite the confidence instilled in her by Dennard, Tillman confessed feeling apprehension when she was approached about becoming the Chorale’s artistic director in 2015, which meant assuming the same leadership role that was once expertly carried out by her mentor, Dennard.

“I was completely shocked. I never imagined or thought of myself being in that role,” said Tillman, who also has been a voice instructor at every level from kindergarten through post-graduate studies. “I had to pray on it and settle myself.”

Once Tillman was “settled” in her heart and mind, she agreed. And she still holds the position to this day, mainly, she said, because she believes there's still important work that needs to be done.

“Brazeal had a dream to bring the music of African American composers to a larger audience and he created an organization that would do that at the highest level. But we recognize that we are still in pursuit of that mission,” said Tillman, who has played an important role in maintaining the Chorale's longtime partnership with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra that comes to life through the annual Classical Roots concert at Orchestra Hall — which was started by Dennard with the DSO to celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the classical tradition.

Like Tillman, Yvonne Turner also has stepped up to take on larger roles and greater responsibilities during her time with the Chorale. The first big step for the Highland Park native was when Turner, after being a 12-year member of the Brazeal Dennard Chorale Community Chorus (organized in 1985 as a community-outreach program by BDC to provide first-class vocal training and professional performance opportunities for participants) summoned up the courage in 1999 to request an audition to become a full-fledged member of the Brazeal Dennard Chorale. Turner, a soprano, was told the same day that she made the Chorale. But in 2017, Turner took on an even greater challenge when she assumed the role of executive director, a position that includes crucial tasks like raising funds for the grassroots, community-based nonprofit.

“We do a lot with a little, but it would be nice to do a lot with a lot,” said the 59-year-old Turner, who admits that her 32 years as an educator, primarily in Detroit Public Schools on the east side, did not exactly prepare her to fundraise for a group that has carried out its mission in large part by accepting invitations to perform at community venues, particularly churches across metro Detroit. “Everyone thinks that we have it going on in terms of money coming in to support us, and that’s not the case. But it’s not just us, other groups like ours across the country face the same challenges. We’re like a big family with little resources, but we manage.”

While a hint of tension could be heard in Turner’s voice when she discussed the fundraising side of being the Chorale’s executive director, her mood changed instantly when she described how Yvonne Turner, the singer, was feeling about the upcoming Detroit performances and the celebration of the Brazeal Dennard Chorale’s 50th anniversary.

“I’m excited!,” Turner exclaimed while confirming that Tillman is demanding the same high standards from each Chorale member for the upcoming shows as Brazeal Dennard had done in years past. “Before we go on stage on June 23, I’m going to be on the ceiling. And then afterwards, the adrenaline will be so high I know I won’t be able to sleep — that’s how it always is for me.”

And Turner is hopeful that the performances will have a lasting impact on the audiences as well.

“The Chorale had a huge following when we started and that’s what I want us to get back to,” she said. “We were born out of Detroit, raised in Detroit and the legacy needs to be continued. I hope we can leave our footprint on the hearts of everyone who comes out to hear our music.”

Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and lifelong lover of Detroit culture in all of its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at: stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/.

A 50-year musical tradition born in Detroit

 What: The Brazeal Dennard Chorale

Mission: Founded in 1972 by the late Dr. Brazeal Dennard, a distinguished Detroit educator, singer, choral director and musical arranger, the Brazeal Dennard Chorale is composed of highly trained singers from across metropolitan Detroit representing all walks of life that are “dedicated to developing the choral art to its highest level." Through the years, the Chorale has displayed a broad musical repertoire, while also remaining committed to a cultural mission of preserving the Negro spiritual as part of the artistic community and performing significant choral works by African American composers. On the importance of the Negro spiritual as an artform, the Chorale’s Artistic Director Alice McAllister Tillman says: “It is the first music known to be created by African Americans in our country. For those who were enslaved, the music provided what was needed to survive in the moment and into the future. It was transformative.”

Upcoming Detroit Performances: Jubilee Gala, 6 p.m. June 23, Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center (400 Renaissance Dr. W., Detroit 48243) and Brazeal Dennard Chorale Reunion Concert featuring current and past Chorale members, 4 p.m. June 25, Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church (2080 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit 48208).

Learn more: For additional information, including ticket information for the two Detroit performances, please visit: brazealdennard.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's Brazeal Dennard Chorale stays true to mission for 50 years