Washington
Performing Arts Men and Women of the Gospel Choir was awarded the 2014
Greater Washington D.C. Area Choral Excellence Award in the category of
the “Best Gospel Choir” by the Choralis Foundation.
The 120-voice choir was formed in 1991 to showcase a community of adult
voices in concert, performing the tradition of the gospel music genre
on main stages. As a result of this programming initiative, the choir
expanded through a city-wide audition to form the Children of the Gospel
Choir in 1993.
Washington Performing Arts’ Men and Women of the Gospel Choir has
appeared on main stages, most recently at DAR Constitution Hall
performing in Washington Performing Arts’ presentation “Of Thee We Sing:
The Marian Anderson 75th Anniversary Celebration and in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall with Choral Arts Society in Living the Dream…Singing the Dream, A Choral Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The
Men and Women of the Gospel Choir has also performed with noted gospel
greats such as the late Walter Hawkins, Richard Smallwood, Dottie
Peoples and other renowned artists such as Sweet Honey In The Rock,
Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Ramsey
Lewis Trio. The choir has performed at the National Christmas Tree
Lighting Ceremony ; a swearing in ceremony at The Department of State;
at Carnegie Hall with Sweet Honey In The Rock; and at the Kennedy
Center's Millennium Stage and Concert Hall.
The Children of the Gospel Choir has performed at the White House,
Inaugural Prayer Breakfast for President Obama as well as the Inaugural
Prayer service at National Cathedral, on NBC’s Today, and at numerous other venues,.
Formal auditions for the choir are held annually in early fall. The
Choir is currently led by Artistic Director Stanley J. Thurston. Other
Washington-based music directors with whom it works with include Michele
Fowlin, Ronald Johnson, Nolan Williams, Jr., Evelyn Simpson Curenton.
Funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
About Washington Performing Arts
Since
1965, Washington Performing Arts has had a foundational role in the
arts in our nation’s capital, creating profound opportunities that
connect community and artists, in both education and performance.
Through live events in 11 venues that criss-cross the D.C. metropolitan
area, the careers of emerging artists are launched and nurtured, and
established artists return to develop closer relationships with
Washington Performing Arts audiences and creative partners.
As
one of the leading presenters in the nation, Washington Performing Arts
embraces a broad spectrum of the performing arts, including classical
music, jazz, gospel, contemporary dance and music, international music
and art forms, and new work. Dynamic education programs in the public
schools and beyond, are hallmarks of Washington Performing Arts, as are
the Embassy Adoption Program and two resident gospel choirs.
In
the 2012–13 season, Washington Performing Arts was twice honored for
its work at the intersection of arts presenting and education: by
President Barack Obama with a National Medal of Arts (becoming only the
fourth D.C.-based arts group and the first arts presenter of its kind to
be so honored), and the Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Service to
the Arts.
About Choralis Foundation
Founded by Artistic Director Gretchen Kuhrmann in 2000, the
Choralis Foundation is dedicated to nurturing a passion for choral
music in the greater Washington metropolitan area by offering excellence
in choral performance and educational outreach. Choralis provides
opportunities for area singers to participate in, and audiences to
enjoy, professional-level concerts and musical experiences. The
organization has established itself as a leader in the greater
Washington, D.C. choral community, both through the quality of its sound
and programming and through its creation and sponsorship of the Greater
D.C. Area Choral Excellence (Ovation) Awards.
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