Willis Patterson obit

Willis C. Patterson, an Ann Arbor native, bass singer, and U-M legend, dies at 94

 

He was not on the list.

Singer and educator Willis Charles Patterson, who spent more than 30 years as a faculty member and associate dean at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD), died on October 22. He was 94.

The Ann Arbor native, born November 27, 1930, was also a graduate of U-M, earning his undergraduate and master's degrees at the university before being hired by SMTD in fall 1968.

Patterson was the first Black faculty member hired by SMTD, and in a 2019 profile of the bass singer, Erin Lichtenstein wrote that the educator "did more to advance the cause of racial equity at SMTD than anyone else in its history, before or since."

The same year U-M hired him, Patterson created the Our Own Thing Chorale, which was dedicated to preserving and performing "traditional African American spirituals and contemporary choral and instrumental compositions and/or arrangements by African Americans and other musicians of the diaspora." The group also helped teach singers, including offering free music lessons to young people.

The same year U-M hired him, Patterson created the Our Own Thing Chorale, which was dedicated to preserving and performing "traditional African American spirituals and contemporary choral and instrumental compositions and/or arrangements by African Americans and other musicians of the diaspora." The group also helped teach singers, including offering free music lessons to young people.

Patterson also published the important Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers, which The New York Times described as "groundbreaking," and he published a second volume in 2002. His 2011 book, The Saints Among Us, paid tribute to the people in Ann Arbor who helped African American youths during the Great Depression, and Patterson chronicled his own life in the 2015 publication The Unlikely Saga of a Singer From Ann Arbor.

To help you explore Patterson's rich life and talents, below are links to articles, podcasts, audio, and video featuring this Ann Arbor legend.