WABE Studios to Premiere Thanksgiving Day Special of SOUNDS LIKE ATL Featuring World-Renowned Spelman Glee Club

Atlanta (Nov. 6, 2023) – WABE, Atlanta’s choice for PBS and NPR, will premiere a new Thanksgiving family tradition with a special SOUNDS LIKE ATL concert film featuring the world-renowned Spelman College Glee Club. The 90-minute  original episode, produced by WABE Studios, airs Thanksgiving Day–Thursday, November 23–at 8 p.m., with an encore at 9:30 p.m., on WABE TV (PBS/Ch. 30) and streaming on wabe.org. WABE’s acclaimed music series SOUNDS LIKE ATL will return for its second season on January 27, 2024.

View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOz4h7n31-s.

Since 1924, the Spelman College Glee Club has enhanced the choral performance genre with its unique sound, ranging from classic choral arrangements to Funk-inspired Negro spirituals. The group’s performances incorporate dance, drums, rap, pianos, and electric guitars. The Club has appeared on national and international stages, from the White House to European concert halls. For the special episode, the Glee Club performed a collection of these songs in a wildflower meadow at the Art Farm at Serenbe for the final performance of the club’s 2022/23 tour.  

The film also includes interviews with the Glee Club’s long-time director, Dr. Kevin Johnson, as well as several student performers, exploring the meaning behind the music, the importance of the Negro Spiritual tradition, and the deep connections of the Spelman College community.

ABOUT WABE

Celebrating its 75th anniversary, WABE is Atlanta’s original, independent, non-profit source for news and local stories and the choice for NPR and PBS. Our stations deliver fact-based journalism and inclusive, engaging, cultural content that informs, inspires, reflects, and empowers the millions who call the Greater Atlanta area home. In addition, WABE’s programs, podcasts, and events make Atlanta’s stories and storytellers accessible and relevant across various platforms for our diverse audience of listeners, viewers, visitors, and members. Go to www.wabe.org for additional information.

ABOUT SPELMAN COLLEGE
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a leading liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, the College’s picturesque campus is home to 2,300 students. Spelman is the country’s leading producer of Black women who complete Ph.Ds. in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Recent initiatives include a designation by the Department of Defense as a Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM, a Gender and Sexuality Studies Institute, the first endowed queer studies chair at an HBCU and a program to increase the number of Black women Ph.Ds. in economics. New majors and minors have been added, including documentary filmmaking and photography, data science, refugee studies and gaming. Collaborations have also been established with MIT’s Media Lab, the Broad Institute and the Army Research Lab for artificial intelligence and machine learning, among others.

ABOUT ART FARM AT SERENBE

Art Farm at Serenbe celebrates artistic excellence with an emphasis on programming experienced in magical outdoor places. As a unique global destination for the highest caliber of entertainment, Art Farm at Serenbe creates programming for audiences to experience the arts in the south, bringing cultural experts to Chattahoochee Hills through thoughtful, heart-centric collaboration. Art Farm is an arts incubator cultivating meaningful partnerships for programming, learning and outreach while respecting the lifestyle of the greater community and with care for the natural environment. We value the perspectives and contributions of all people and are committed to being an inclusive organization that welcomes and respects everyone.