by Theola Carter

On September 26, 2026, at the Janesville Performing Arts Center in Janesville, the Milton House Museum will hold its 2026 Signature annual fundraiser.  This year’s event will feature performances from the celebrated and world-renowned Fisk University Jubilee Singers. The event promises to be an unforgettable evening celebrating culture, history, community and the arts all in one.

Fisk University, a historically Black university (HBCU) founded in 1866 in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, was established as Fisk Free School.  The school was named in honor of General Clinton B. Fisk, who provided the facilities in the former Union Army Hospital barracks — present day, the Little Theatre, which is the oldest structure on the campus. Students were taught basic literacy, such as reading and writing. This way the freedmen could read their bibles, write their names, know how to count their wages, so they would know if/when they were short-changed and/or cheated.  Today, Fisk is the oldest academic institute in Nashville, Tennessee.

From its founding, academic excellence has been the hallmark and at the core of the University’s mission.  However, within five years of opening its doors, the school found itself in a financial quagmire — struggling to remain open.  In 1871, under the direction of George L. White, then Fisk’s music professor and treasurer, took a vocal a cappella ensemble on a fundraising campaign to raise $20,000 for the university.  Taking the little money that was left in the school’s treasury after purchasing provisions for the school, his own money, and borrowing the remainder, the group began their tour against what seemed to be insurmountable odds knowing in the back of their minds that failure was not an option. For failure meant, the school would close and White would lose everything.

Unlike the music that then White America was accustomed to (racist minstrel shows) the music of the Jubilee Singers was different. The Jubilee Singers were America’s and the world’s first real introduction to the Negro spiritual genre of music.  In fact, the Fisk Jubilee Singers IS the predecessor to present day what we call show, school or professional choirs.  On their own, and perhaps unintentionally, the Jubilee Singers single-handedly changed what music could be in America. They sang the sacred songs of our forefathers in the fields, such as Ain’t-a That Good News, Steal Away, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, There is a Balm in Gilead, My Lord Says There’s Room Enough, This Little Light of Mine and Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel.

The dirty south was the dirty south and a dangerous place for the formerly enslaved.  Remember this was the late 19th century; the Klan was in full effect.  Angry white mobs threatened, chased and killed Black people for game; lynching was a white American pastime — white people brought their children and had picnics with food and all the fixings at public hangings.  The parents of the students feared for the lives and rightly so.

Nonetheless, despite the misgivings, dangers, trepidation and mistreatment (being refused their correct seating on trains, restaurants not serving them, being told by  hotels “there are no rooms in the inn”, and becoming physically and emotionally weary) the ensemble sallied forth.  Their mission was not an easy feat; this was a ginormous ask for 11 students, a director, and two others to accomplish. But, they understood the assignment and knew the school was depending on them.  To instill hope and encouragement, White named them The Jubilee Singers, from a biblical reference in Leviticus Chapter 25, the Day of Jubilee.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers attracted the attention of many and were successful in their endeavors.  Their vocal abilities and music sparked curiosity and surprised audiences. Anger and skepticism were superseded by applause, standing ovations and positive reviews.  Over time, the Jubilee Singers earned approximately $50,000 which is the equivalent to a little more than $1.2 million now.  It was money enough to cover expenses and send back to the university.  They toured throughout U.S. and  Europe and performed to sold out audiences; the Fisk Jubilee Singers performed with grace, elegance and dignity.  It was even rumored that Queen Victoria had private performances because she would be moved to tears just listening to them sing.  Then, in 1873, Queen Victoria commissioned a floor to ceiling portrait of the original singers, which currently hangs in Jubilee Hall in the Appleton Room.  Jubilee Hall, named for the ensemble, is one of the most recognizable and historic buildings on the university’s campus.