They’ve been called “one of America’s most celebrated gospel groups” by National Public Radio and received a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship.

And the Legendary Ingramettes, also known as Richmond’s “first family of gospel,” will perform their family favorites sprinkled with Christmas music at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas on Dec. 3. The concert will include a special guest appearance by local students in the Manassas Park High School Chamber Singers.

In addition, as a Hylton Center Artist-in-Residence, The Legendary Ingramettes will also work with the community through classes and workshops surrounding their Hylton Center performance.

The group was formed six decades ago by evangelist “Mama” Maggie Ingram, who found inspiration in Black gospel male quartets of the 1940s and ’50s. Ingram broke ground creating her female-driven quartet.

With the spirit of a Sunday morning service, the ensemble is now led by Ingram’s daughter, the Rev. Almeta Ingram-Miller. Featuring vocalists Cheryl Maroney Yancey and Carrie Jackson and a house-rocking rhythm section, the group has built on the legacy of its founder and has been known to inspire audiences into a gospel fervor.

Ingram-Miller said the group is thrilled to share its story and music with the Hylton and GMU communities. “We are a family band and hope that by the end of this residency, our family has expanded tenfold to include the students and community that we will be able to meet, engage and sometimes even sing with.”

Launched during the 2019-20 season through George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Artist-in-Residence program connects artists appearing at the Hylton Center and the Center for the Arts on the Fairfax campus with on- and off-campus communities. Classes and workshops surrounding The Legendary Ingramettes Dec. 3 performance are as follows.

Mason Arts Management Student Discussion

Ingram-Miller will join John Kohn, associate director at the Center for Cultural Vibrancy, for an evening with GMU arts management students. The conversation will focus on the strategy to make the jump to larger stages, the challenges of presenting spiritual music to secular audiences, the challenges the group has endured over history and what its future holds.

Potomac Place Lunchtime Performance

Ingram-Miller, Maroney Yancey, Jackson and keyboardist Patrick Newby, joined by Jon Lohman, founder and executive director of the Center for Cultural Vibrancy, will perform a lunchtime concert for residents of senior living care facility Potomac Place in Woodbridge.

Mason Folklore Classroom Visit

Ingram-Miller, Maroney Yancey, Jackson, Newby and Lohman will visit GMU’s “Public Folklore” course on Mason’s Fairfax campus, taught by Professor Lisa Gilman, director of the program.

Manassas Park High School Chamber Singers Workshop

Ingram-Miller, Maroney Yancey, Jackson and Newby will visit the Manassas Park High School Chamber Singers for a special workshop in preparation for the Dec. 3 performance.

Lifelong Learning Institute Lecture Demonstration

The Legendary Ingramettes will be joined by Lohman for a lecture and demonstration with GMU’s Lifelong Learning Institute at the Hylton Center. The event will discuss the role of Black gospel music in the attainment of civil rights in the South.

Artist-Activist Speaker Series

Ingram-Miller will join moderator William Lake Jr., director of the concert band and professor at the Dewberry School of Music, for an event as part of The Artist-Activist Speaker Series, which is an initiative of ARCAM (Anti-Racist Collaborative Arts at Mason).

Mason School of Integrative Studies Black Feminist Thought Classroom Visit

Ingram-Miller will visit GMU’s School of Integrative Studies’ “Black Feminist Thought” course, taught by Professor Wendi Manuel-Scott.

Box

Performance Information

Where: Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas

When: Sunday, Dec. 3, 2 p.m.

Tickets: $29-$48; half-price for youth through grade 12. Available at hyltoncenter.org