"I Want to Be at the Meeting: Sacred and Secular in the Mississippi Delta" will premiere on Mississippi Public Broadcasting this September. The film showcases Grammy-nominated artist Jontavious Willis, recent Coahoma alum Tae’Angelo Carter, and vocalists from the 2021-2022 Coahoma Community College Choir, delivering a captivating night of gospel performances rooted in the Mississippi Delta. The documentary will air on public television stations across the region, with statewide Mississippi broadcasts on Friday, September 13, at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, September 15, 2024, at 5:00 pm. The local affiliate for this broadcast is WMAO TV, Channel 23.
Dr. Kelvin Towers, Fine Arts Chair/Director of Choral Activities at Coahoma Community College, emphasized the importance of this project. “Gospel music is at the heart of our community, and this film beautifully captures the spirit of the Mississippi Delta. It has been a privilege to work with such talented students and artists, and I am honored that our choir is being recognized on this platform. This is a celebration of our rich musical heritage, and I hope it resonates with viewers across the state.” He added, “The songs that were recorded by our choir are renditions that I arranged uniquely for this project.”
Produced by Don Allan Mitchell, an English professor and director of the Honors Program at Delta State University, the film originated as a live-streamed Black gospel concert during the pandemic. Delta State students in digital media, film, and animation handled the stream, which later became footage for their classes. Boston filmmaker Ted Fisher, the film's co-producer, saw potential in the uncut footage, envisioning it as a compelling short documentary.
“As a director, Ted recognized that we could capture the passion and intensity of Jontavious Willis and the Coahoma Community College Choir as they performed selections from the Black gospel tradition,” said Mitchell.
Though Willis is primarily a blues musician, Mitchell noted, “The show’s purpose was to highlight the deep influence of Black gospel music on the blues. When I asked Jontavious to perform traditional gospel rather than his usual blues, he shared stories of growing up singing gospel in his grandparents' church. His roots were evident during the spontaneous duet between him and the CCC Choir on ‘I Want to Be at the Meeting,’ which still gives me chills.”
Dr. Towers has earned a reputation as a respected music educator throughout the Mid-South. Reflecting on the collaboration, Mitchell added, “Dr. Towers values the strong partnership between Delta State and Coahoma, as shown by Tae’Angelo Carter’s transition to Delta State’s Digital Media Institute (DMI) program.”
“This project exemplifies my favorite kind of academic work—using new media to forge meaningful connections between two institutions of higher learning,” said Mitchell. “We’re grateful to Taiwo Gaynor and his team at MPB for broadcasting this collaboration between faculty and students at Delta State and Coahoma. Special thanks to Dr. Towers and everyone at CCC for making this concert possible. The CCC Choir continues to serve as an outstanding musical ambassador for Mississippi.”
The film will also be available on the PBS Passport streaming platform in the coming weeks.
For more information on MPB, visit www.mpbonline.org.