JACKSONVILLE, AL — As originally reported by Brett Buckner with JSU’s media department, Jacksonville State University’s A Cappella Choir will travel to Europe in May 2027 to perform in Prague and Leipzig before competing in the 14th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival and Competition in Wernigerode, Germany.
The competition is scheduled for May 19-23, 2027, and will bring together choirs from around the world for performances, competition and cultural exchange.
Before arriving in Wernigerode, the Jax State choir will tour Europe and perform concerts in Prague, Czechia, and Leipzig, Germany.
Dr. Eliezer Yanson Jr., Jax State’s director of choral activities, said the tour will give the choir an opportunity to introduce international audiences to a range of American musical traditions.
“I am excited to share and promote the richness and diversity of American music with our audiences in Czechia and Germany, particularly its many genres—including art music, spirituals, gospel, folk music, hymn arrangements, Broadway, and country,” Yanson said.
Among the pieces being added to the choir’s repertoire for the tour is the Alabama country classic My Home’s in Alabama, originally written by Teddy Gentry and Jax State alumnus Randy Owen. Jax State graduate student Silas Tankersley is creating a new arrangement of the song for the choir.
Other planned selections include Alleluia by Randall Thompson, Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine by Eric Whitacre, In stiller Nacht by Johannes Brahms, Pamugun by Francisco Feliciano and Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord, a spiritual arranged by Undine Smith Moore.
Yanson said participating in the competition will give students an opportunity to develop as an ensemble while gaining experience outside the United States.
“Through travel and participation in this international event, JSU students will gain a broader perspective on the world and their place within it,” Yanson said.
The trip will mark a return to European competition for some members of the choir. Jax State student Devonte Roszell, a 20-year-old junior from Oxford, participated in the choir’s 2025 European tour, which included the CantaRode International Choral Festival in the Netherlands.
“Performing in Europe was a dream come true,” Roszell said. “Being on the stage was surreal, and the atmosphere was beyond words. Seeing the different cultures come together to celebrate the art of music was like worlds colliding.”
Roszell said the previous competition also influenced the choir’s approach to performance and repertoire.
“They all had strong looks and a unique persona they all carried from their cultures,” he said. “This has made us as a choir stronger too, with us having a stricter look and our repertoire being more representative of our home with songs like My Home’s in Alabama.”
For sophomore Shealee Griffith of Talladega, the 2027 tour will be her first trip outside the United States.
Griffith said she has long wanted to visit Europe, particularly Germany because of its role in the history of Western classical music and its association with composers including Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann.
“Performing in such an important place in musical history is an honor, one that I know we in the A Cappella Choir will look back on fondly many years from now,” Griffith said.
She said she is also looking forward to meeting singers and directors from other countries.
“This competition is more than an opportunity for us to show our skill as a choir,” Griffith said. “It is a way for us to build new relationships with choristers from all over the world and to strengthen the bonds we already have within our choir.”
The trip is expected to cost $3,499 per student. Yanson said the choir hopes to raise $30,000 to help offset students’ travel expenses. Meeting that goal would reduce each student’s contribution to approximately $2,800.
Donations may be made through the Jacksonville State University Foundation’s online giving site. Contributions may also be mailed to the JSU Foundation at Self Hall 240, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Road North, Jacksonville, AL 36265. Checks should include “JSU Choirs” in the memo line.
