Nolan E. Williams Jr. is an American composer, musicologist, and producer. He was an editor of the ''African American Heritage Hymnal''.

Early life and education

Williams grew up the son, grandson and great-grandson of Baptist ministers. At the age of 4, he heard the song '' Lean on Me'' played by the choir at his father's church. After the service he asked one of the musicians to play the song for him again on the piano. At home, Williams went to the family's piano and, with no formal lessons, he sounded out the notes until he could play the song himself. Williams' first piano teacher was his great-aunt Daisy Marie Young. Williams attended

St. John's College High School St. John's College High School (SJC, SJCHS, or St. John's) is a Catholic high school in Washington, D.C. Established in 1851, it is the third oldest Christian Brothers school in the United States, and was one of the oldest Army JROTC schools u ...

in Washington, D.C. In 1990 he received a B.A. in music (piano performance) from Oberlin College, and in 1993 he received a Master of Divinity degree in theology from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

Book publications

As a musicologist, Williams is best known as the Music Editor of the ''African American Heritage Hymnal'', which he began work on in 1993. Working with co-editor Dr. Delores Carpenter, pastor of Michigan Park Christian Church in Washington, D.C., the hymnal took nine years to compile. The 2001 publication included 575 hymnals,

spirituals Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with African Americans, which merged varied African cultural influences with the exp ...

and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

songs. Noted musicologist, Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, wrote in the book's foreword that the publication was "the most important addition to Protestant hymnody within the past century." Williams created new arrangements for 92 songs in the book. ''African American Heritage Hymnal'' has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. In 1995, Williams' commentary on the

Book of Habakkuk The Book of Habakkuk is the eighth book of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Hebrew Bible. The book has three chapters. It is attributed to the prophet Habakkuk. Most scholars agree that the book was probably composed in the period during Jehoiak ...

was included in the collection ''Many Voices: Multicultural Responses to the Minor Prophets'' written by Howard University School of Divinity students.

NEWorks Productions

Much of Williams’ musical career has been conducted under the umbrella of NEWorks Productions, an arts programming and music production organization that he founded in 2003. He is also the music director of NEWorks Voices of America

VoA Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American international ...

formerly called NEWorks’ Voices of Inspiration choir, a choral aggregation specializing in African-American Sacred Music. Since 2007, the choir has performed at a variety of nationally televised events, with multiple performances at the White House, including the National Christmas Tree Lighting in 2013.

Selected works and performances

Williams has composed, arranged or played music for dozens of albums in the gospel and jazz genres, including albums by Ed Wiley, Jr., Lamar Campbell, and

Regina Belle Regina Belle (born July 17, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter who started her career in the mid-1980s. Known for her singles "Baby Come to Me (Regina Belle song), Baby Come to Me" (1989) and "Make It Like It Was" (1990), Belle is most notabl ...

. In 2008 he released ''InSpiration'', an original album of worship music. In 2014, a recording of ''

We Shall Overcome "We Shall Overcome" is a gospel song that is associated heavily with the U.S. civil rights movement. The origins of the song are unclear; it was thought to have descended from "I'll Overcome Some Day," a hymn by Charles Albert Tindley, while t ...

'' arranged by Williams and featuring mezzo-soprano

Denyce Graves Denyce Graves (born March 7, 1964) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. Early life Graves was born on March 7, 1964, in Washington, D.C., to Charles Graves and Dorothy (Middleton) Graves-Kenner. She is the middle of three children and w ...

was among several works of art, including the poem '' A Brave and Startling Truth'' by

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

, were sent to space on the first test flight of the spacecraft

Orion Orion may refer to: Common meanings * Orion (constellation), named after the mythical hunter * Orion (mythology), a hunter in Greek mythology Arts and media Fictional entities Characters and species * Orion (character), a DC Comics c ...

. In 2017, Williams premiered ''Hold Fast to Dreams'', a commissioned work honoring the legacy of Philadelphia native and NASA astronaut Col. Guion S. Bluford Jr., inspired by the

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

poem, ''Dreams''. In July 2018, Williams led a group of local choirs in performing th
National Anthem
at the 2018 Major League Baseball All Star Game at

Nationals Park Nationals Park is a baseball stadium along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard (Washington, D.C.), Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals. Since its completion in 2008, it wa ...

in Washington, D.C. In celebration of composer Leonard Bernstein's 100 birthday, Williams commissioned the re-working of Leonard Bernstein's

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

by four Philadelphia composers – Jay Fluellen, Ruth Naomi Floyd,

Rollo Dilworth Rollo A. Dilworth (born September 23, 1970) is an American choral composer, arranger, conductor, and music educator from St. Louis, Missouri. Education Early education Dilworth, as a young boy, was impassioned by singing experiences in his scho ...

, and Evelyn Simpson. Williams tasked them to “collectively write a new version that expresses their faith or crisis of faith”. The new piece premiered at Philadelphia's Monumental Baptist Church in August 2018.

Theatrical productions

External links

* Official website
NolanWilliamsJr.com

Nolan Williams music credits

List of selected hymns Nolan Williams Jr. has arranged

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Nolan Jr. 1969 births 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians African-American composers African-American conductors (music) African-American male composers African-American pianists American male conductors (music) American music arrangers Howard University alumni Living people Oberlin College alumni St. John's College High School alumni