Howard Gospel Choir Performs LIFT EVERY VOICE: A JUNETEENTH MUSICAL CELEBRATION In June

Cherry Street Music, the chamber music program of The Allen Center presents Lift Every Voice: A Juneteenth Musical Celebration featuring the Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University (HGC), with a guest appearance by singer Donna McElroy, Thursday June 19th at 4pm at The Allen Center in Newton MA.  Tickets and information can be found at newtonculture.org.

Gospel music has long been a powerful tool for African American resilience, serving as a source of strength, community, and spiritual upliftment. Rooted in the African American experience, particularly in the era of enslavement and segregation, gospel music has been a means of both survival and resistance.

“Gospel is a genre that is global; its impact transcends culture and communities,” said Cherry Street Music’s Artistic Director Allison Eldredge.  “We are delighted to share the Howard Gospel Choir with our Newton community and honored that these wonderful artists are with us on this Juneteenth holiday.”

The Howard Gospel Choir, led by Reginald Golden, is a group of students, alumni, and community members from Howard University, who will lift spirits of audiences as they celebrate, heal, and empower communities. As one of the world’s first college gospel choirs, HGC is a trailblazer for gospel music ministries on collegiate campuses worldwide.

The Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University was founded in the fall of 1968 by Melanie Russell and Rosalind Thompkins.  For almost five decades, the HGC has set a very high standard as a premier performing arts ensemble, singing at a wide variety of venues including The White House, the Capitol Building, the Kennedy Center, and the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Most recently, HGC was a part of ABC Television’s Emmy Award winning special Taking the Stage, which celebrated the grand opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

They have shared the stage with musical luminaries including Barry Manilow, Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder, and Patti LaBelle. They have also performed at events that featured public figures such as President Barack Obama, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.