​From the Odyssey Chamber Music Series - In Season 15, we presented this special event free of charge; we overfilled the capacity of the Second Missionary Baptist Church; many folding chairs had to be accommodated.

Odyssey offered the second installment of “The Evolution of the African American Spiritual: Freedom Bound” at the First Baptist Church in Columbia that accommodated over 400 people. We hosted a reception catered by Mrs. G’s A Touch of Soul, an African-American female owned restaurant.

Due to the pandemic, the third and the final installment of “The Evolution” was postponed from Fall 2020 to 2022. At the request of Marques Jerrell Ruff, Odyssey is presenting the past “Evolution” performances back during the Black History Month in February 2022.

Bass-baritone Marques Jerrell Ruff visited Columbia for the first time as one of the vocalists of the renowned Chanticleer in Odyssey Season 13. Having fallen in love with Columbia, he decided to pursue choral conducting degree with Dr. R. Paul Crabb at the University of Missouri. Odyssey celebrates Marques’ immense talent and the rich history of the Spiritual. In his words, he “(would) like to tie in an educational component, so that it is concert curated by some of the leading scholars here in Columbia, e.g., Dr. Maya C. Gibson, and Dr. Brandon A. Boyd. I along with some of my good friends, would present and produce the musical segment beginning with field/work songs all the way to the arranged spirituals of H.T. Burleigh, Margaret Bonds, and Moses Hogan to name a few. Additionally, I would like to plan some sort of “talk back” or discussion that could occur in conjunction with the concert. I feel there is a vacuum for music of this tradition here in Columbia, and people are interested to learn more, and passionate about it.”

More information available at odysseymissouri.org