This small vocal ensemble was founded in February of 1987 by four members of St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Germantown, who volunteered to participate in a fundraising "Musicale" for the parish. For the purposes of that afternoon, the four called themselves "The Fiskites" since they all had, for some part of their various collegiate careers, attended Fisk University in Nashville, TN.
As time passed, singers who had not attended Fisk were invited to join the group and they became known as The Fiskites & Company, Ensemble A Capella.
The group adopted as its purposes:
The ensemble lives its purpose. There are seven historically African-American colleges and universities represented among the members; and the group still includes three of the four founding members. More than 90% of the group's earnings has been donated to these institutions and to students in the form of scholarship aid. The Ensemble's repertoire includes a wide variety of musical styles, but the heart is still it's large collection of "Negro Spirituals".
In November of 1994, the Ensemble accepted an invitation from Music Contact International, Ltd. to participate in ADVENTSING in Munich Germany and Salzburg and Vienna Austria. In Vienna, they were chosen "Best Choir" of that week's 25 choir assemblage. Since returning home, the choir has sung in Washington, DC and several concerts in the Philadelphia area. The choir was also invited to sing at New Years celebrations in Paris, France, Brussels and Bruges Belgium, and Amsterdam, Holland in 1996-97. Their own spirituality is important to these singers and they exhibit that as much in their music as in their care and respect for each other as members of one unique "extended family".
Many thanks to our tour guide, "Trixie", of "Music Contact International" for a well run tour, our two bus drivers in general, and the two water taxi pilots who guided us safely through a sudden violent storm on the Lagoon of Venice to a safe harbor on the mainland before our last concert.