Tippy McMichael Lecture Series
Our Next Tippy McMichael Speaker - Melissa Givens
Melissa Givens
Seven Songs on Texts of African-American Poets: A New Discovery in Price
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Reception at 6:00 pm • Lecture at 7:00 pm
Rediscovering the Spirituals of Florence Price
Sunday, September 21, 2025
10:00 am
American soprano Melissa Givens is a singer recognized for her rich, powerful tone, and crystalline clarity. She has been especially noted for her expressiveness and intelligent musical interpretations. An extremely versatile artist, she regularly performs music of eras from the Baroque to Contemporary, and includes music of underrepresented composers, with a special emphasis on women and African Americans. She will offer a lecture-demonstration on a recently published collection of songs by Florence Price and also offer a presentation on Price’s known spiritual arrangements.
Recent Tippy McMichael Speakers
About the Tippy McMichael Lecture Series
The Tippy McMichael Lecture Series explores a wide range of spiritual issues and features accomplished speakers from various disciplines and religious traditions.
Most events are structured as a two-day series with lectures on two different but related subjects. A Saturday evening lecture is followed by an Adult Forum presentation on Sunday Morning.
The series is an expression of thanksgiving to Clifton “Tippy” McMichael, a lifelong member of St. Paul’s and a strong-willed woman with an independent mind, and is funded by the St. Paul’s Permanent Endowment fund, which was created from Tippy’s planned gift of $1.5 million to St. Paul’s, “to enhance the life and work of the church.”
Get Involved
Join the Tippy McMichael Committee and help plan future events.