On the first weekend of March, 2026, the halls of the College of Music welcomed attendees to the inaugural College of Music Black Alliance (COMBA) at FSU Conference. Taking place across two days, the conference aimed to “uplift, within a global perspective, the diverse musical expressions of those within the American and greater Black diaspora” and “unravel these complexities and showcase the myriad ways that music within the Black diaspora can be studied, performed, and appreciated.”
Opening night on March 6 set a joyful tone for the rest of the conference. The ceremony featured many musical performances, starting first with Lift Every Voice and Sing performed by vocalists Jasmine Merriweather (soprano) and DaSean Stokes (tenor), accompanied on piano by Chima Enware. Attendees were treated to appearances by the FAMU Gospel Choir under the direction of Malachi Gibbs, and the FSU Gospel Choir under the direction of Jeremy Moore. Both ensembles joined together for a stunning performance of Richard Smallwood’s Total Praise to close out the opening ceremony.
“When I heard Total Praise sung by the joint gospel choirs, I knew that we had done something magical,” said current COMBA president and conference organizer, DaSean Stokes.
The highlight of the evening was the keynote address, “Black Music Is, Black Music Ain’t, and the Legacies of Blacksound” by Dr. Matthew D. Morrison, which discussed the legacy of Black music and Black music study within the United States, as well as his concept of Blacksound. Morrison is a musicologist and serves as Associate Professor in the Department of African and African American Studies in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, where his research focuses on the relationship between music, identity, performance, as well as property and politics in and beyond American popular culture.
The second day of the conference featured a diverse slate of student presentations across four sessions. These talks covered a variety of topics across different categories including “Music and Activism,“ “Music as Community and Memory,” “Blacksound,” and “Black Feminism.” That evening the conference came to a triumphant close with a concert of student performances highlighting Black music.
When asked about the process of starting an academic conference from scratch, Stokes described the experience as “difficult, but worth it.” He was also very grateful for the support he received. “I am so grateful for the support of the College of Music to fund this project,” said Stokes, “and I am grateful for the assistance of my colleague, Gordon Cortney. Gordon has been there every step of the way.”
Stokes’ vision for the future of COMBA is bright. “The future plan for COMBA is to do more community events with the students in the university who are interested in centering Black music, culture, and people.” said Stokes. “I hope we can in the next year have more events that allow us to come together and just be ourselves and enjoy the space that we create together.”
