Guest Artist Residency: Dr. Emorja Roberson

The Georgia State University School of Music welcomes conductor, composer, vocalist and scholar Dr. Emorja Roberson for a three-day residency with the choral area, October 20–22, 2026.

Throughout the residency, Dr. Roberson will guest teach in Music Education and Choral Master's classes, working directly with GSU students on the performance practice, cultural context and living tradition of Black sacred music. On Tuesday, October 20, he presents a special lecture co-sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Performing Music and the GSU Choral program: Donald Lawrence: The Sonic Architecture of the Gospel Story. This virtual presentation examines the repertoire and methodologies of contemporary gospel artist Donald Lawrence — exploring how his cross-cultural music has taken root in ensembles internationally and how digital platforms have become vital sites for the transmission and transformation of gospel traditions. The lecture takes place from 6:00–7:00 PM via Zoom. The residency culminates on Thursday, October 22, when Dr. Roberson guest conducts the Tenor-Bass Choir at the Fall Choral Showcase.

Dr. Roberson serves as Director of Choral Activities at Voorhees University. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2017 as the first African American to earn a Master of Sacred Music in Vocal Performance, and in 2022 became the first African American to receive a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the same institution. In April 2022 he premiered his oratorio BE-SPOKEN, a work exploring the Black experience through jazz, hip-hop and gospel. A member of the GRAMMY Recording Academy and founder of the series Black Church, Black Music, he is recognized nationally for bridging classical music, gospel traditions and contemporary performance.

This residency is free and open to the public.