Tri-Valley audiences will have the opportunity to experience Black gospel and spiritual music performed by one of the Bay Area’s premier groups next week.
Founded more than 35 years ago by Terrance Kelly, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir aspires to a mission of musical diversity and inclusion through concerts at public, commercial and faith venues as well as schools, shelters, prisons and other underserved or institutionalized audiences, according to its website.
“Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir will celebrate Juneteenth with experience and music that brings and shares the resiliency, joy and strength of the African American community,” Livermore Valley Arts officials said ahead of the group’s concert at the Bankhead Theater.
“This diverse, inclusive group takes us through a gospel music journey — introducing different styles of Black gospel music, and connecting it to the Freedom Songs of the Civil Rights Movement and to music today,” LVA reps added. “Get ready to stand up, clap, and even sing along.”
With Kelly continuing to serve as artistic director, the full choir performs 25 to 30 times per year and includes nine to 15 singers representing the organization at additional events, with performance highlights including the governor’s tree lighting, inauguration ceremonies, jazz festival tours, and annual appearances with the Oakland and San Francisco symphonies, according to the LVA.
The choir is driven by beliefs including “that the song has the power to transform lives and to unite people across differences, that a culture of inclusion challenges each of us to be a positive agent of change … and that everyone has a unique voice, and that every voice is important,” according to its website.
The show is set for 8 p.m. next Friday (June 23) at the Bankhead in downtown Livermore. Visit livermorearts.org for tickets and more information.
