Everett D. McCorvey Receives National Award from Omicron Delta Kappa

by Tara S. Singer

Lexington, VA (08/08/2022) — Everett D. McCorvey, a resident of Lexington, Kentucky, is the 2022 recipient of Omicron Delta Kappa's Pillars of Leadership Award in Creative and Performing Arts.

McCorvey is a distinguished music faculty member at the University of Kentucky and a native of Montgomery, Alabama. His degrees, including his doctorate, are all from the University of Alabama (UA). McCorvey was inducted into the UA Circle (chapter) of Omicron Delta Kappa, as a graduate student, in 1981. In addition to being on faculty at Kentucky, he is the director of the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre. McCorvey is also in his seventh season as the Artistic Director of the National Chorale of New York City. The 54-year-old National Chorale is a symphonic choir that performs at Lincoln Center.

McCorvey is also the founder and director of the American Spiritual Ensemble (ASE). The ASE, established in 1995, has the mission to keep the American negro spiritual alive. The members of the ensemble travel the globe celebrating the music of African American enslaved peoples. Today, thanks to the work of the ASE, more than 3,000 negro melodies have been documented. McCorvey was one of the keynote speakers at the 2022 ODK National Leadership Conference.

Omicron Delta Kappa Society, the National Leadership Honor Society, was founded in Lexington, Virginia, on December 3, 1914. A group of 15 students and faculty members established the Society to recognize and encourage leadership at the collegiate level. The founders established the ODK Idea-the concept that individuals representing all phases of collegiate life should collaborate with faculty and others to support the campus and community. ODK's mission is to honor and develop leaders; encourage collaboration among students, faculty, staff, and alumni; and promote ODK's leadership values of collaboration, inclusivity, integrity, scholarship, and service on college and university campuses throughout North America. The Society's national headquarters are located in Lexington, Virginia.

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