As Black History Month draws to an end, several WSU music groups will come together to celebrate the music created through African-American artists and culture.

Titled, “The Sacred and the Spiritual,” the concert begins at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Bryan Hall and will bring together the University Singers, Vojazz ensemble, and several of WSU’s jazz faculty members.

“There is a rich history of both sacred and secular music from black cultures, but African-American spirituals is one genre of choral music that we always enjoy singing,” said Dean Luethi, the director of the University Singers.

The University Singers will present four pieces of music, including “Keep Your Lamps,” a traditional slave song, and “Let Everything That Hath Breath,” which will be accompanied by the faculty jazz combo, Luethi said.

“(‘Let Everything That Hath Breath’) has a lot of energy and is a wonderful way to end the concert,” he said.

Besides just accompanying the singers during certain pieces, the jazz faculty will also present some purely instrumental songs, Luethi said.

Piano instructor Brian Ward arranged the jazz pieces for the event and said this is usually the one concert a year that brings together the vocal and jazz departments.

Sticking with the theme of the concert, Ward said the faculty will present traditional spiritual songs in a more contemporary jazz style. Some of the pieces the audience will hear include “Walk With Me,” a gospel song, and Stevie Wonder’s classic rhythm and blues song, “Higher Ground,” Ward said.

The University Singers is a non-audition group that brings together students from every major, Luethi said. Since the University Singers is a course offered by WSU, all students who are interested in joining just have to enroll and attend class, he continued.

“This is the perfect group for those who have a little anxiety in performing. We take great care in preparing our students to perform,” he said.

Reporting by Dustin VandeHoef