Albany area high schools to 'Lift Every Voice' for 2023 concert

Alan Mauldin, The Albany Herald, Ga.
·2 min read

Feb. 14—ALBANY — When area high school students gather this month to "Lift Every Voice," new voices will be in the mix with the addition of Lee County High School joining five schools from Dougherty County.

The annual concert also has other new additions, including solo artists Willie Moody Jr. and Rutha Mae Harris, as well as the Freedom Singers and singers from several churches.

The 2023 show will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the Albany Municipal Auditorium. Admission is free.

The concert will include Deerfield-Windsor School, Dougherty High School, Lee County High School, Monroe High School, Sherwood Christian Academy and Westover High School performing four selections, Frank Wilson, one of the event organizers, said of the seventh edition of the annual show that was canceled in 2021 due to COVID-19.

"We reached out to Lee County High School, which will be participating as part of the group," he said. "We should have about 70 kids participating."

The concert series started during the time Wilson was executive director of the Albany Civil Rights Institute.

"It really started as a result of a conversation with Dave Davies, who was headmaster at Deerfield," he said. "At the time, there was a lot of tension going on between the different public schools, and the public schools and private schools.

"Being a south Georgia boy myself, I knew good food and good music transcends a lot of this. He thought it was a good idea."

A former Westover music teacher organized the first year's performance, with students in the schools practicing the music for the combined performance. Originally held at Shiloh Baptist Church, the concert eventually outgrew that venue and has been held at the Municipal Auditorium over the last several years.

Support also has grown, with a number of sponsors helping to keep the event going and allowing organizers to keep admission free of charge.

"Although it's labeled as a Black History Month program, it is a community program," Wilson said. "People are welcome regardless of race, color or creed. We're excited about it. It comes from a cross section of the community."