UK Chorale Dedicates Video to Kentuckians Lost to Pandemic
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 12, 2020) — As members of the University of Kentucky Chorale finished their spring semester remotely from home, they took the time to record a video performance of “Down in the River to Pray.” The group dedicated its rendition of the song to those across the Commonwealth who have lost loved ones to the COVID-19 pandemic. The video was featured at the end of Gov. Andy Beshear’s May 8 TV briefing, the last day of Spring 2020 classes at UK.
The UK Chorale, directed by Professor Jefferson Johnson, is the university’s premier mixed choral ensemble. It consists mostly of upperclassmen and graduate students. While the majority of singers are music majors, there are a number of other UK academic disciplines represented.
The Chorale prides itself in performing a wide variety of choral literature from Renaissance to 21st century. The ensemble has been fortunate enough to work with many talented composers, conductors and performers and has received regional and national awards. UK Chorale has also toured extensively, performing in Italy, Switzerland, France, the Bahamas, Washington, D.C., and New York City.
Watch the video, produced by Michael Brisentine, Matt Gibson and Shaan Azeem, above or on the UK College of Fine Arts YouTube channel.
UK Chorale is part of the School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts. The school has garnered a national reputation for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, music therapy, composition, and theory and music history.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.