Montpelier Gospel Choir
August 20, 2014
At the Essex Community Church
$10 per person, children admitted free.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Essex Community Church, just across the street from the Essex-Charlotte ferry dock. Evening concerts are usually an hour and a half, including a brief intermission. Each concert is followed by a reception with refreshments and an opportunity to interact informally with the performer(s). Admission is $10 for adults while children are welcome free of charge. Hope to see you there!
About the Montpelier Gospel Choir
The Montpelier Gospel Choir began in 1994 under the direction of the Rev. Fred Shapiro and the late Andy Shapiro. From its beginnings as a loose-knit group of about 20 people, the choir has grown over the years to its present size of 60 members. The Director is John Harrison, and band members are Ira Friedman on piano, Keith Gibson on drums, John Ryan on bass, and Andy Pitt on guitar.
“We sing! We clap! We shout! We play! We laugh! We pray! Sometimes we cry.”
Over the years the choir has performed under the gospel tent at the Discover Jazz Festival in Burlington, Vermont; at Montpelier’s First Night New Year’s Eve celebration; and at the Farmer’s Night concert series at the Vermont State House. They have performed with Tammy Fletcher, Vermont’s homegrown blues great, and with gospel legend Fontella Bass and jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie. The choir sings at benefits, church services, prisons, nursing homes, and memorial services, but the heart of what they do happens at their Monday evening rehearsals. It’s there that they share with each other, open their hearts, take chances, and witness the movement of the Spirit.
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