Charles Myricks Jr. named a GAMA Trustee - Akron Symphony Orchestra

Charles Myricks Jr. named a GAMA Trustee

May 15, 2017

Charles Myricks Jr. named a GAMA Trustee

The Greater Akron Musical Association Board of Trustees is pleased to welcome Charles Myricks Jr. to the board.

Charles is a graduate with special distinction in marketing and management from Anderson University in Indiana. He has a master’s degree in homiletics from Ashland Theological Seminary and an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Anderson University.

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Professionally his business career has included positions in sales, marketing and management at IBM and InterBold. He had the honor of being the first African-American to occupy the office of vice president and general manager for one of the top five Christian music labels, serving for five years with Word Gospel Records in Nashville. Under his leadership, Word Gospel’s recordings garnered several Grammy, Dove and Stellar Awards. He was also instrumental in distributing the first multi-platinum gospel recording in the modern era of gospel music.

As the founder of Divine Hope, a gospel music ministry, he has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe and South Africa, sharing a unique blend of original, contemporary, jazz inflected gospel music. With multiple recordings to their credit, Divine Hope was also the grand prize winner of the 700 Club/Star Song Records National New Artist Search.

As a pioneering participant in Akron’s Gospel Meets Symphony concerts, Charles has had several of his compositions performed by the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Tuscarawas Philharmonic. In 2000, he was commissioned by Akron’s First Night to write the new Millennium Theme Song for the city-wide celebration. His 2004 collaboration with the Ohio Ballet led to the premier of Transformation, a ballet featuring music composed by Charles and performed by Divine Hope. He also has written a musical, The Miracle of Love, and an opera, Paul: A Musical Journey.

In 2016 under commission by the Akron Symphony Orchestra, he created an arrangement of spirituals entitled There’s a Stirrin’ in the Water. Currently he is working on a musical on the life of King David scheduled to premiere in 2017.

Charles entered full-time ministerial service an assistant pastor at Arlington Church of God in Akron. He currently serves as the chief operating and development officer of the National Association of the Church of God in West Middlesex, Pa., and on the Board of Directors of the Youth Excellence Performance Arts Workshop in Akron.

Charles joins fellow new Trustees Tracy Dowe, a vice president and relationship manager with Wells Fargo Commercial Banking, Quinnie Lane, a senior customer marketing and national identification representative with Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Renée Pipitone, a retired educator, and Noriko Wilson, a pianist and educator.