Professor Silvester Carl Henderson

Recently elected to receive the A2MEND Educational Leadership Award -2020, Professor Silvester Henderson is also the recipient of the Albert Nelson 2019 Marquis “Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award”. Professor Henderson is a nationally recognized Professor, educator, conference motivational speaker, business owner, respected real estate investor, community artistic organizer, musician/artist, internet radio blog personality, and conductor of the Gospel Song. An award-winning professional, Professor Henderson earned his Bachelor of Music and his Master of Arts Degrees from San Francisco State University. He taught there from 1984 to 1994 as a Professor/Lecturer of Piano and Music Theory.

The Professor is also an Emeritus Professor/Lecturer of African American Studies and Music from the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as the original director of the internationally acclaimed Young Inspiration Gospel Choir (YIGC) from 1985 – 2005. In April of 1992, YIGC recorded their first live album entitled, “The Gospel Experience”. The album is placed in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute’s Gospel Music Division, and accordingly, they named YIGC as the "finest" university gospel choir in the nation. The choir sold over one hundred thousand copies of this historic recording. The “Second Gospel Experience” sold over forty-five thousand purchasers. During the Fall of 2016, The Gospel Academy Awards, Inc. presented Professor Henderson with a “Gospel Music Academy Award” for his efforts in promoting “Higher Education”, through the usage of African American Gospel Music. Additionally, Professor Henderson is the Director of Choral/Vocal Activities & Keyboard Studies, for Los Medanos College. Presently, he serves as the Full-Time Tenure Professor of Choral/Vocal Activities and Emeritus Chair of the Music Department at the Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, California. Professor Henderson directs the College Chorus, Chamber Chorale, and the Gospel Choir. He teaches voice classes, applied vocal lessons, music theory, class piano, musicianship, classical piano, and gospel piano. Professor Henderson developed a “Gospel Piano Curriculum”, which was the only collegiate academic course of its type in the State of California. Professor Henderson has organized community concerts and performed with celebrity classical opera artist, gospel, jazz, broadway stars, rhythm, and blues artist and musical greats such as Richard Smallwood, Reverend Daryl Coley, the late Walter Hawkins, and the Love Center Choir, Kurt Carr, Quincey Fielding, Ron Kenoly Sr., V. Michael McKay, the late Helen Stephens and the Lighthouse Singers of Marin, Ca, Micah Stampley, Jon Gibson (the artist who paired with Stevie Wonder for the remake of “Have a Talk with God”), Billy Porter (Soundtrack Artist for Bette Midler’s “First Wives Club”), James Iglehart (New York Broadway Star), Vesta, Howard Hewett, Kenny Lattimore, Gerald Albright, LaToya London, Chris Walker, Kathy Taylor Brown, Kevin LeVar, Anita Wilson, and most recently Keisha Renee, the vocal artist from the TV show entitled “The Voice”. Mr. Henderson has served as musician and Minister of Music for over thirty-eight years at the Bay Area’s prominent Palma Ceia Baptist Church, located in Hayward, CA. Under the Professor administrative leadership, the entire department recorded their “First Album/CD” entitled, “One Body In Christ”. Over ten thousand copies of this highly successful musical creation were sold and have been shared with listeners as far as Japan and Africa. Professor Henderson has been the recipient of many prestigious educational, religious, and community awards, which includes the 2004 “NAACP Educational Integrity Award”. On April 25, 2005, the University of California at Berkeley, College of Letters and Science, presented Professor Henderson with an “Educational Commendation” for his twenty years of highly valued service to the university and campus community. Registered in the “International Star Registry” was an honor bestowed upon Professor Henderson on May 7, 2005. Professor Henderson is included in the “Who's Who Among America's Teachers”, “Cambridge Who’s Who Registry” of Executive and Professionals. He is part of Remington’s Registry of Professionals, which only recognizes one thousand of the most noted “Successful Executives and Professionals” in the United States, once a decade, as part of the Library of Congress. Professor Henderson is the recipient of the “Art Recognition Award” from the Contra Costa County Arts and Culture Commission. Professor Silvester Carl Henderson’s educational objective is to ensure a permanent academic home for African American Music within Higher Education. Professor Henderson married Cecile Henderson during his early twenties. The Professor resides in Pleasanton, California and is the father of three daughters named Carlena, Celisse and Charde.