Eva Jessye

Brief

     Dr. Jessye (1895-1992) was a preeminent Conductor, Choral Director, founder of the Eva Jessye Choir, and the first Black woman to earn international distinction as a director of a professional choral group. She was the first musical director for the original production of Porgy and Bess and, devoted to Civil Rights, Jessye and the Eva Jessye Choir were appointed by Dr. Martin Luther King the official choir of the 1963 March on Washington.

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‍Collections & Papers

1.  Eva Jessye Collection 1927-1992, University of Michigan Library.

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2.  Eva Jessye collection, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library

The Collection contains her funeral and other memorial programs, personal and professional correspondence,  newspaper clippings, critiques, and Eva Jessye Choir performance programs.