Edward Jackson, Jr. Papers

Edward Jackson, Jr. (December 10, 1933-September 14, 2016) began teaching in the D.C. Public School System (DCPSS) in 1964 and served as a vocal music specialist on every level. In addition, he assisted in conducting and development under the leadership of Dr. Frances White Hughes, founder of the city-wide choral music program, Young Scholars with Special Gifts. In 1966 Edward became its full-time director. This group became the D.C. Youth Chorale, the official city-wide chorus of the DCPSS. Under his direction, the chorale continued building its fine reputation and became known for its choral sound, unyielding high standards of excellence and its varied repertoire. The D.C. Youth Chorale performed in all major venues in the Washington, DC area and on television. It officially represented the United States as ambassadors of goodwill to Romania. In 1979 they traveled to Mexico for a choral festival and returned with top honors. The D.C. Youth Chorale expanded into a comprehensive program which included an elementary/junior high curriculum with a dance component, an opera workshop, a summer program and an alumni chorus. In 1975, when the Duke Ellington School of the Arts was founded, Eddie was assigned as a faculty member. He became the school’s first concert choir director. For over forty years he taught voice at Duke Ellington School of the Arts and taught privately for over forty years. As of December 2014, his failing health would no longer permit him to perform the duties that for so long had been his passion. He passed away on September 14, 2016.

[Source: D.C. Youth Chorale Legacy website]

The District of Columbia Youth Chorale (DCYC) became the official city-wide chorus of the Washington, D.C. Public Schools under the direct supervision of Hortense Pace Taylor, Supervisor of Music. Founded in 1961 as Young Scholars with Special Gifts by Dr. Frances White Hughes, then a music teacher at Roosevelt High School. The group sang at the United States pavilion of the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, was also the core ensemble which sang as the Washington Festival Chorus on The Ed Sullivan Show. Under the subsequent leadership of Edward Jackson, director from 1966-1995. The DCYC continued to perform for prestigious occasions in major venues including The White House, John F. Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra, Constitution Hall, professional music conferences, a three-week concert tour in Romania as Cultural Ambassadors of the United States at the invitation of the Department of State, at the United States pavilion Expo ’74 (the 1974 World’s Fair in Spokane, Washington), and Warner Theater, among others. The DCYC returned from Mexico in 1979 with top honors in the Fiesta ’79 competition. This premiere ensemble represented the D.C. Public School System, Washington, D.C., and the United States of America for more than 30 years and ended with the retirement of Edward Jackson.

[Source: D.C. Youth Chorale Legacy website, 2025]