Meet Coriology, the man behind Spelman's gospel choir sound

The music inside Sisters Chapel at Spelman College is bold. Confident. Alive. But for the man leading it, the journey didn't start in a chapel or on a college campus. 

"Cori is just a little country kid born and raised in a small town called Texarkana, Arkansas," Cori Stevenson said. 

Stevenson is known artistically as Coriology, and said he didn't even grow up loving music. 

"I had no interest in music, music just did not interest me until I heard the sounds of Erykah Badu…Jill Scott," he said. 

That neo-soul sound sparked something. Church helped shape it, and Atlanta opened doors. 

Over the years, Stevenson has performed alongside major names and stepped into national spaces. 

"We were in the movie Fighting Temptations… I did the backgrounds for Monica," he said. 

He also spent years playing at Ebenezer Baptist Church, building relationships in Atlanta's music community. But five years ago, the spotlight shifted. 

"They brought me in to start a choir there… and then I took over the music department for the chapel," Stevenson said. 

Inside Sisters Chapel, his focus became something deeper than performance. 

Reverend Dr. Neichelle Guidry Stewart, dean of Sisters Chapel, said Stevenson's presence has transformed the atmosphere. 

"He's brought his creativity… his musical genius… and modeling the power of community… and togetherness," Guidry Stewart said. 

For Stevenson, mentoring students has become some of his most meaningful work. 

"Now that I'm five years in… I got to see freshmen become seniors," he said. 

He says watching students grow over four years and then graduate is emotional. 

The impact, he says, is mutual. 

"They have really restored me in a way that was needed… whatever it is I have done for them, they have done double that for me," Stevenson said. 

While Stevenson is preparing new music and an upcoming performance at City Winery, he says the mission remains the same: building community through music. 

Inside Sisters Chapel, the rhythm isn't just harmony. It's mentorship. Its growth. It's community.

To learn more about Coriology and listen to his music, click here.