The nationally-acclaimed gospel group, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, are coming to Madison.

In their first performance at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, the group will bring a unique performance of soulful, African-American spiritual songs in a tribute to Black History Month.

Making history since 1871, the group began as an ensemble of nine young men and women, all students at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., who toured with their white choir director around the country in hopes of raising enough money to save their school.

Although the group began singing European and classical songs for predominantly white Christian audiences, the group soon began to incorporate the songs that the choir director heard his students singing privately — African-American spirituals — into their performances.

At the time, this was considered a bold decision on the part of the choir director, but the choir was received with great acclaim and has carried on the tradition of sharing African-American spirituals with the world for more than a hundred years.

The group has performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, performed at the funerals of Johnny Cash and Albert Gore Sr., and has even performed with the likes of actor Danny Glover, and musicians Hank Williams Jr., Faith Hill and Shania Twain.

The group even received the highest honor for artists and patrons of the arts, as a 2008 recipient of the National Medal of Arts, which was presented by Pres. George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush during a ceremony at the White House.

“We booked them specifically for Black History Month and the importance of their singing in African-American history,” said Madison-Morgan Cultural Center marketing director Patricia DuBose. “We are expecting this to be a sell-out crowd and this is a first ever for the cultural center, so this is exciting for us.”

Members of the original acapella group associated their parents’ sacred music with a part of the past that was to be forgotten, but the national acclaim of the performances of the music allowed the students to take pride in the beauty of the songs.

The performance will take place at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center. Tickets are $10 for students, $25 for Cultural Center members and $35 for non-members.

Tickets are available online at www.mmcc-arts.org or they can be purchased by phone at 706-342-4743 or toll-free at 877-233-0598.

To learn more about the Fisk Jubilee Singers, visit their Web site at www.fiskjubileesingers.org.