(ThyBlackMan.com) The scene was the 17thannual Detroit Tigers Negro Leagues Tribute Game at Comerica Park, a day set aside to honor teams and unsung players who comprised an important chapter of baseball’s history, prior to the sport’s integration.
On this scorching summer day, members of two Major League Baseball mainstays, the Tigers and Chicago White Sox, would take the field donning replica uniforms honoring the Detroit Stars and Chicago American Giants of the old Negro Leagues.
As baseball shared the stage with history, it was only fitting that the first big 
cheer of the day went out to members of the Brazeal Dennard Chorale, who performed a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, setting the stage for a special afternoon at the ballpark.
“The applause and response from the crowd was just wonderful,” said Don Robinson, the Chorale’s executive director. “People in the stands were giving us fist pounds as we walked off the field.”
Named after its legendary founder, the late Brazeal Dennard, the Brazeal Dennard Chorale, founded in 1972, is one of the oldest African American choral organizations in the country. The Chorale’s mission is 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.”
For the Chorale’s artistic director, Dr. Augustus Hill, each public performance provides an opportunity to bestow a musical gift to a new audience, while 
carrying on the legacy of Dennard, who was deeply committed to promoting the serious work of African American composers, as well as the tradition of the spiritual.
“Our goal is to keep moving forward and as our ensemble grows, we want to maintain a level of excellence,” said Hill, the composer of a special arrangement for the Comerica Park performance.
Hill, who earned a doctorate in composition and music theory from the University of Michigan, takes delight in pointing out the diverse cross section of local people who have found a musical home in the Chorale including teachers, ministers, doctors, lawyers, truck drivers, mechanics and day laborers. The Brazeal Dennard Chorale’s yearly schedule features a variety of performances, including a Holiday Concert and Spring Pops Dinner show, which highlights music from jazz to Broadway, and beyond. The Chorale also helped develop the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Classical Roots Concert Series, and performs annually with the DSO.
In addition to the Brazeal Dennard Chorale, there are other opportunities for local talent to share their musical gifts through the Brazeal Dennard Community Chorus; as well as a youth chorale, targeting ages 13-19; and a children’s choir, which targets ages 7-12.
“One of our natural resources is the creative talent of the young people,” Hill said. “I think it’s very important that we develop and cultivate that talent, which we can do through the youth chorale and children’s choir.”
Ticket sales from performances cover roughly a third of the Chorale’s 
expenses. Additional funding comes from the generous support of individuals and community partners. Hill invites members of the community to join the Friends of the Brazeal Dennard Chorale, a non-profit organization, which provides financial support for the Chorale’s ensembles.
The Friends group also has provided scholarships for students attending historically black colleges who are majoring in music. The scholarships are another example of how the Chorale preserves the legacy of Brazeal Dennard and the music he loved by touching the lives of youth.
“We would be foolish not to honor this tradition,” said Robinson, who as an 11-year-old had a surprise encounter with the legendary Paul Robeson at a Detroit church, which would forever shape his love for spirituals and the history of African people.
“After one of our performances, I had a young person tell me that he could hear his ancestors speak to him through the music,” said Robinson, from his downtown Detroit high-rise home, which he shares with his wife Barbara, also a member of the Chorale.
“The members of the Chorale share a love for music and we sing all types of music, but at its core you can’t beat the sheer poetry of the Negro spiritual. It’s poetry at its best. And from a creative and talent standpoint, the Chorale is in the best place we’ve ever been.”
For more information about the Brazeal Dennard Chorale, please contact 313-823-5278 or visit http://www.brazealdennard.org.
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Staff Writer; Scott Talley
This talented journalist is owner of a public relations firm; Scott Talley & Associates, Inc….
