The Georgia Laster Association of Musicians, Inc. (G.L.A.M., Inc.) will host their 53rd Annual Memorial Concert on Saturday, November 11, at 3 p.m., at Founder’s Church of Religious Science, located at 3281 West 6th St., in Los Angeles.
The free concert will honor the legacy and music of Dr. Albert McNeil, founder and director of the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, and Dorothy Jackson Hayes, educator and choral director. G.L.A.M. President Yolanda West credited the McNeil and Jackson Hayes as leaving “an indelible print in the fabric of our organization.”
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The event is also a fundraiser for the organization’s annual High School Scholarship Competition. West added, “A souvenir book of dedications, memories and tributes will be made available at the concert.”
G.L.A.M., Inc. was formed in 1961, in Los Angeles, California. At that time Dr. Albert McNeil, a prominent teacher, and choral director attended a National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. convention and was so impressed with what he witnessed he decided to start a chapter in Los Angeles. The task of persuading other prominent African American musicians in the city to see the cultural necessity of this kind of organization was not difficult.
When singer Georgia Laster was killed in an automobile accident in 1961, the new branch was named in her honor with Florence Brantley as the first president.
According to its website, G.L.A.M., Inc. works to provide financial support and opportunities for young musicians between the ages of 10 and 18 to perform. This helps to support both NANM and G.L.A.M., Inc.’s collective mission and purpose in the following ways:
- Provide instrumental and choral music classes for students between
the ages of 10 and 18 who do not have those opportunities in their local schools. - Provide scholarships for talented high school students between the ages of 13 and 19 years of age.
- Assist families in purchasing musical instruments.
- Sponsor quality concerts that showcase outstanding talented members and students.
For more information, or to donate to G.L.A.M., visit glamincla.org.
