The Hopkins lifestyle is one that is not always conducive to reflection and celebration. Students frequently give thanks for Friday nights and easy A’s, but less often for the basic amenities in their lives.
At last Saturday’s Annual Gospel Choir Jubilee though, artistic performance combined with community and individual contemplation to create a broader dialogue about staying focused and grounded while in college.
The Jubilee was hosted by the Hopkins Gospel Choir at the Bunting-Meyerhoff Interfaith Center, and University of Maryland Baltimore City’s (UMBC) Gospel Choir. George Washington’s (GW) The Voice and Morgan State’s The Voice of Praise also performed.
The groups were accompanied by musicians, including student pianist Ignatius Perry Jr..
When the choirs filed in, it was clear that they were excited and enthusiastic. Many cheered and applauded as they sat down at the front of the room.
Reverend Adriene Breckenridge made opening remarks and introduced the Hopkins Choir, which was the first group to sing. Led by Hopkins Alumnus J.T. McMillan, the choir opened with an up-tempo song, “Come Bless His Name,” that set a loud and impassioned tone for the rest of the evening.
As Hopkins sang, many members of the other choirs rose to their feet, and this helped the audience to loosen up and get involved.
Throughout the concert, members of the crowd sang along to the songs they knew, shouted affirmations and generally supported the singers. People clapped, swayed and even danced during the up-tempo songs.
UMBC was up second and sang two songs, “Freedom” and “Nobody Greater.” They blended well and displayed their dynamic range during both numbers. This helped drive their momentum throughout the performance and kept the energy level high.
After UMBC, Hopkins sang a second number called “Praise His Name.” The song’s melody was catchy and many audience members sang along.
Third on the program was GW’s The Voice. The choir tackled three numbers, including “Glory to Your Name” and “Why We Sing,” and the group’s president, Anthony Bellmon, spoke to the audience about The Voice’s motivations for joining the Jubilee.
“We don’t come to perform for you, we’re here to minister with you,” he said.
The choir’s singing was especially impressive given that they are a relatively new group founded only three years ago.
Morgan State’s Voices of Praise was the last group to perform before the finale. Dressed in red and black, the group was probably the most enthusiastic. As audience members, they had offered enormous support for the other choirs, and when they took the stage they brought even more energy.
The popular “Sanctuary” was Voices of Praise’s first song. It featured a few powerful soloists along with excellent blending throughout the group.
Morgan State’s second song was “Even Me.” During the song, the soloists and members of the chorus got increasingly emotional, and were apparently very moved by the song and its meaning. Some stamped and shouted and others were overwhelmed by emotion and began crying.
This openness allowed the audience to connect with the performers and feel the power of the music.
After Morgan State’s performance, Rev. Breckenridge noted that “the melody was sweet, but the words were sweeter,” referring to the positive and uplifting message of the song.
The final number of the evening, “Lord You’re Mighty,” was performed by the Hopkins choir. The group was clearly excited to perform the piece, and had prepared choreography for certain parts of the chorus. McMillan took the feature solo, and showed off his explosive voice. The song built slowly to an exuberant close, and encapsulated the overall feeling of the evening.
The most impressive thing about the Gospel Choir Jubilee was its sheer volume. All of the choirs talked about the idea of using their music to draw people from the community into the concert, and this open attitude was clear in their singing and comments.
Each group had a slightly different style, and there were some intonation issues during some of the songs, but overall it was clear that the performances were primarily about community dialogue and fellowship.
