Annual choral tribute brings the combined force of more than 300 voices celebrating the power of music and the triumph of the human spirit; includes presentation of the 2015 Humanitarian Award to civil rights icon Rev. C.T. Vivian
In what has become a highly anticipated annual tradition in the nation’s capital for more than 20 years, Washington Performing Arts and The Choral Arts Society of Washington once again join forces to honor the life and enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., through spirituals, gospels and hymns. The 300+ combined voices from the Washington Performing Arts’ Men and Women of the Gospel and Children of the Gospel Choirs and the Choral Arts Chorus share the inspirational gift of traditional choral and gospel music to audiences throughout the D.C. region. Says Washington Life on a recent performance of Living the Dream…Singing the Dream, “The pulsating rhythmic drive, rumbling basses and the soaring sopranos were a recipe for euphoric applause from the audience.” This highlight of the D.C. choral season will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at 7pm in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
Who: Choral Arts Chorus, Scott Tucker, Artistic Director & Conductor
Men and Women of the Gospel Choir, Stanley Thurston, Artistic Director & Conductor
Children of the Gospel Choir, Michele Fowlin, Conductor
Where: Kennedy Center Concert Hall
When: Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 7pm
Program: Spirituals, gospels and hymns
Tickets: From $25, available at washingtonperformingarts.org or (202) 785-9727.
The program opens with the combined choirs, under the direction of Stanley Thurston, performing Tremaine Hawkins’ Excellent Lord, followed by individual pieces from each choir. The choirs unite again for the remainder of the program, singing spirituals, gospels and hymns including My Faith Looks to Thee, Great Day, Steal Away, My God Is a Rock, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, The Battle of Jericho, and the traditional South African song Wamuhle Lomtwana. The concert closes with A. Bazel Androzzo’s powerful, internationally revered If I Can Help Somebody. The audience is invited to join in the singing of several of the program’s selections, creating a truly magnificent, unforgettable experience for those who attend.
About The Author
Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter
I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!
My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.
Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.
As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.
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