Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance formalizes its relationship with the
Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers
Starting this Fall, students will be able to register to sing with the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee
singers as part of a new Community Music Ensemble Course, MUNM 10303-01.
The Ithaca College Community Music Ensemble is open to any student at Ithaca College. It is
intended primarily for non-music majors who want to make music with a diverse population
and engage in service learning. Music students can take the ensemble as a music elective. It is
designed to build relationships and create space for music-making between college and
community members. The course will explore the depth and breadth of African American
Sacred Music with the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers. Students may be expected to meet off
campus for some of the rehearsals and performances and are responsible for their own
transportation. There are no auditions for this ensemble. One concert is scheduled each
semester. Our namesake, Dorothy Cotton, served on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s
executive staff and was part of his entourage to Oslo, Norway, where he received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1964. She served as the Vice President of Field Operations for the Dr. M.L.K. Jr.
Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. She translated years of experience and learning
into words and songs bearing messages of hope. Through “Songs of the Movement,” laughter,
and storytelling, Dorothy synthesized the lessons from our history into a hardworking vision for
the future. Dorothy got us to laugh, sing, and join together to create a more caring and
humane world. She was an educator, speaker, singer, peacemaker, and visionary. Dorothy was
a long-time resident of Ithaca, New York, before her death in 2018. The group is directed by Dr.
Baruch J. Whitehead, associate professor of music education.