Dear Howard University Community, 

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Damien L. Sneed (B.M. ’00) as director of music for Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel. 

A distinguished Howard University alumnus and tenured associate professor of music in the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, Professor Sneed will provide artistic and strategic leadership for the musical life of the Chapel. 

In this newly expanded role, Professor Sneed will direct the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel Choir while providing oversight, support, and artistic collaboration with the Howard Gospel Choir, Howard University Community Choir, and the Chapel Student Mass Choir. He will oversee music for weekly worship services and special events; cultivate artistic partnerships; develop student leadership; and advance a comprehensive vision for sacred music that reflects Howard University’s commitment to excellence in worship, education, and cultural engagement. 

Professor Sneed embodies the unique intersection of artistic excellence, spiritual leadership, and educational distinction that has long defined the ministry of Rankin Chapel. His extraordinary gifts as a musician, educator, and minister, coupled with his deep love for Howard University, position him to inspire a new generation of student leaders while strengthening the Chapel’s longstanding tradition of sacred music. I am delighted to welcome him into this important leadership role. 

Internationally recognized for his ability to bridge classical music, opera, jazz, gospel, sacred music, and contemporary artistic expression, Professor Sneed has built a distinguished career spanning concert halls, opera houses, recording studios, television, houses of worship, and institutions of higher learning. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with artists including Aretha Franklin, Jessye Norman, Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Valerie Simpson, Faith Evans, Jennifer Holliday, The Clark Sisters, Kim Burrell, Lawrence Brownlee, and Denyce Graves-Montgomery. He also served as music director for season four of BET’s acclaimed gospel competition series “Sunday Best.” 

Beyond his accomplishments in the performing arts, Professor Sneed has devoted more than two decades to leadership in church music ministry. He has served in leadership capacities at congregations including Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church in Washington, D.C., Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens, N.Y., and Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. His ministry reflects a lifelong commitment to using music as a means of worship, spiritual formation, and community engagement. 

As a Howard alumnus and faculty member, Professor Sneed brings a unique understanding of the University’s mission and the historic significance of Rankin Chapel. Having served in the Chapel as an undergraduate student, he returns with a vision to honor its rich legacy while expanding opportunities for students to develop as musicians, worship leaders, scholars, and servant leaders. 

Please join me in welcoming Professor Sneed as he takes on this important leadership role. I look forward to the many ways his gifts, vision, and faithful leadership will enrich the Chapel, inspire our students, and contribute to the overall University community. 

In Truth and Service, 

Bernard L. Richardson, Ph.D. 
Dean of the Chapel