Dr. Johnnie Felder is the director of South Carolina State University’s Concert Choir.
World-traveled operatic tenor Dr. Johnnie Felder is reviving SC State’s choral tradition
one student, one song, and one standing ovation at a time.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Dr. Johnnie Felder has sung in operatic and concert halls from Austria to San Francisco.
But the most meaningful music he conducts today happens in a South Carolina State
University classroom — just steps from where he first studied music as a child.
Members of the Concert Choir perform at SC State's Spring Commencement. IN three years,
Dr. Johnnie Felder has grown the choir from just a handful of members to nearly 40
singers.“I actually spent my summers in the same room where I teach now,” said Felder, director
of SC State’s Concert Choir. “It’s a full-circle moment.”
A native of Vance, South Carolina, Felder joined SC State in 2022 to take the baton
of a choral program that had gone without full-time leadership for years. What he
inherited was more hope than harmony: Just a few students were in the choir.
“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” he remembered thinking. “But through hard
work — and I believe through relatability — we started building something again.”
And build he has. In three short years, Felder has grown the choir to nearly 40 singers.
Along the way, the choir has become one of SC State’s fastest-rising cultural forces.
They’ve logged dozens of performances -- from local middle and high schools to Atlanta,
GA, Columbia’s Koger Center for the Arts, and worldwide virtual audiences.
Felder’s journey to SC State’s podium is steeped in musical excellence. A tenor trained
in the opera studio of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria,
Felder has performed leading roles in works by Mozart, Donizetti, Puccini, and Carlos
Simon. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in vocal performance (USC) and has taught
across the Southeast, including at the University of South Carolina and Opera Carolina.
But despite a résumé that includes world premieres in Black art song and operatic
literature, Felder’s heart remains in the HBCU tradition.
“I enjoy HBCU culture, and I respect the history of HBCU choirs,” he said. “Sometimes
you just miss it. And I was like, ‘Oh yeah—I can do this. I can make this happen.’”
To rebuild SC State’s program, Felder took to campus hallways and sidewalks, personally
recruiting singers.
“You look like you can sing,” he’d say to students. “Do you sing? You want to sing?”
And the word spread. Students came. The sound changed. The choir’s reputation followed.
Now, Felder is widening the reach of the choral program, partnering with local churches
and community organizations to sing in worship services and present full concerts.
This spring, the choir was featured at Elevation Worship (Ballantyne) for Black History
Month, the Low Country African American Cultural Arts Festival (Walterboro, SC), and
presented the spring concert with a chamber orchestra. Last fall, the choir collaborated
with the university’s Drama Program and Brass Quintet to present a night of scenes
from the best shows on Broadway.
“We don’t just sing choral music,” he said. “We tap into show tunes, gospel, and contemporary
styles, too. That’s innately a part of us. If we can continue to provide them with
experiences and opportunities that are unmatched, it helps the individual student
— but also the collective ensemble — to evolve into well-rounded musicians and good
human beings.”
Dr. Johnnie Felder conducts student musicians at SC State's Spring Concert.The program’s rapid success brought an increased demand for resources.
“The needs are plentiful,” he said. “We need more scholarships, concert attire, and
a budget to support what we’re doing.”
Now, the ensemble is preparing for its biggest stage yet: Carnegie Hall. In June 2026,
the SC State Concert Choir will perform Adolphus Hailstork’s sacred cantata, “I Will
Lift Up Mine Eyes,” at the iconic New York venue.
The performance, part of a national choral showcase hosted by Mid-America Productions,
marks the first time the SC State Concert Choir will appear on the famed stage. The
choir is planning several concert performances and fundraising efforts to support
the trip.
For all the challenges, Felder says the work is deeply rewarding. He’s helping young
singers discover their voices—sometimes for the first time.
“It becomes uncomfortable at some point because they’re used to a specific type of
music,” he said. “But I tell them: just try it and see what happens.”
That philosophy has guided Felder’s own journey — from a child singer in Liberty Hill
Missionary Baptist Church to a scholar of music from the African Diaspora, recitalist,
and soloist in operas across the globe. It’s what powers his belief in the students
he leads now.
“There’s always levels to it,” he said. “But it’s in the stretching where growth happens.”
