Below: Battle Creek concert information contributed by Betty Moorehead; Headline image: Morgan State choir when they appeared at Bible Baptist Church in Kalamazoo in 2010. Photo by Sean Hollins- Reproduction is prohibited.
- Central State University Concert Chorus will come to First Congregational Church in Battle Creek.
BATTLE CREEK (MICH.)–Battle Creek and Kalamazoo congregations will provide a spring gift to all who love great, choir music. Central State University Concert Chorus of Wilberforce, Ohio, under the direction of Jeremy Winston, will perform at 6 p.m., Friday, March 21 at First Congregational Church, 145 Capital Avenue in Battle Creek. The concert is free and open to the public. A free-will offering will be collected to support the continuance of the concert series.
The Morgan State University’s Grammy Nominated choir will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 29 at Bible Baptist Church, 1700 N. Drake Road, Kalamazoo. This event at Bible Baptist also is free, however tickets are required and are available by calling 269-382-1532.
The HBCU choirs tour the nation, and with a twofold objectives; to expose and enlighten the public to the musical talents, culture and traditions of HBCU life and to solicit and recruit students to attend a HBCU school, of which there are over 100 schools nationwide.
At the Battle Creek event concert goers will be treated to the outstanding voices of the Martin Luther King Celebration Choir, which performed in the local MLK Ecumenical 2014 Celebration.
The Battle Creek concert series is a collaborative effort of Second’s New Vision and Outreach Ministries and several local churches, their pastors and leadership teams including Second Missionary Baptist, Mount Zion AME Methodist, First Congregational Church, Maranatha Original Church of God, Saint Mark CME Methodist and First Presbyterian Church. This community event would not be successful without the unwavering support of local music lovers and enthusiast.
The Kalamazoo event will feature Morgan State University and its Grammy-nominated Choir which performed at Bible Baptist Church in 2010. The choir director, Eric Conway, shared his connection with the city, as he married his wife, Bessie (Thompson) at the original Bible Baptist Church (Kalamazoo Avenue) more than 20 years ago.
Morgan State University Choir is one of the nation’s most prestigious university choral ensembles. They have performed all over the world and for such historic events as the 100th Birthday Tribute to Marian Anderson at Carnegie Hall. In 2009 they were invited to South Africa to sing in an international Choral festival which was highlighted by singing, “Happy Birthday,” to Nelson Mandela on his 90th birthday and in 2013 they performed at the funeral services of Mandela.
The 40-member choir on tour was a portion of the 130 members that make up the Morgan State University Choir. The nearly two-hour performance opened with the tradition, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and culminated into an array of musical genre from classical to show tunes.
