The Gospel Festival of New England on Friday, Jan. 22
Saint Joseph College will present The Gospel Festival of New England as part of The Bruyette Athenaeum Performing Arts Series on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hoffman Auditorium on the College’s West Hartford campus. Advance admission is $15 (all tickets); $20 at the door. To purchase tickets, contact the Frances Driscoll Box Office at 860.231.5555 or place your orders online at www.sjc.edu/arts.
Now in its second year, the Gospel Festival of New England is presented in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This joyous and spiritually uplifting evening of music features six of the region’s finest Gospel choirs:
- Alden Baptist Church, Springfield, MA
- Echoes of Joy, representing Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Hartford, CT
- Hopewell Concert Choir, representing Hopewell Baptist Church, Windsor, CT
- Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Choir, Hartford, CT
- Mount Olive Mass Choir from Mount Olive Church Ministries, Hartford, CT
- Canaan Missionary Combined Choir, representing Canaan Missionary Baptist Church, Springfield, MA
Johnny Whitaker and Kenneth Laster of Hartford are the artistic directors of the festival and the coordinators of the evening program. Each choir will perform a section of the concert and then join together for a combined performance.
The Gospel Festival of New England is the latest festival to be instituted by Saint Joseph College’s Carol Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities, which has previously established the annual 5 x 5 Dance Festival held in October featuring professional and college dance troupes (now in its seventh season). The College also partners as a co-producer of the annual Capital Classics Shakespeare Festival which presents outdoor performances over three weekends in July.
