July 28, 2010 - Charleston, SC. The Charleston Symphony Orchestra Gospel Choir is seeking new volunteer members for its 2010-2011 Season. Lower voices (tenor and bass) are especially needed, but all voices are welcome.

The CSO Gospel Choir, directed by Sandra Barnhardt, is a 110 voice volunteer group performing classical, spirituals, and traditional and contemporary gospel music. We will hold a voice assessment audition for interested individuals on Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 10AM-12Noon
at John Wesley United Methodist Church located at 626 Savannah Highway, Charleston. Come prepared to sing a solo of your own choosing and perform simple vocal exercises.

The CSO Gospel Choir will be preparing for its 2010-2011 Season with our first performance scheduled for Saturday, October 2, 2010 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church as part of the Moja Festival.

The choir has just completed its 2009-2010 season with a Summer Tour to New York and New Jersey, where we performed at several historic and prestigious churches including Convent Baptist Church and City Tabernacle Church of the Seventh Day Adventist in Harlem, New York , as well as a performance at the Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts in East Orange, NJ.

Rehearsals are each Tuesday evening at John Wesley United Methodist Church beginning Tuesday, August 24, 2010, 5:30-7pm.

We are saddened by the news that The Charleston Symphony Orchestra has suspended the remainder of their concert season. The CSO Gospel Choir, however, will continue performing, with one exception: our April 10 concert with the Orchestra has been cancelled. The May 28-29 Piccolo Spoleto shows will continue as planned. View the symphony’s website for more information.

Having a Symphony Orchestra affects our city both culturally and economically. Please continue to support your Orchestra!

The CSO Gospel Choir presented a special Palm Sunday concert on March 28, 5:00pm, at Citadel Square Baptist Church in downtown Charleston. This concert highlighted a beautiful array of classical and gospel music associated with the Christian Lenten Season and, in particular, Palm Sunday.

The choir programmed a cross section of choral styles in selections from the traditional Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah, to the rhythmic a cappella spiritual, Rockin’ Jerusalem, to the beautifully haunting, Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), to the foot-stomping He Reigns Forever.

The evening also featured liturgical dance (sacred dance) performed by two local churches well known across the State of SC for their dance ministries — The Ebenezer AME Church and the Centenary United Methodist Church.

The Charleston Symphony Orchestra, CSO Chorus, and the CSO Gospel Choir presented The Evolution of a Dream, January 18, 2010, at the Gaillard Auditorium, to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The concert featured soprano Roberta Laws as guest soloist.

July 20, 2009 — The CSO Gospel Choir made its return to Charleston, SC July 20 after a week long visit to London and Bath England and Paris, France. The all-volunteer choir, under the direction of Sandra S. Barnhart, performed at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London, Bath Abbey in Bath and The American Church in Paris. Click here for a writeup in Gary Lee Kraut’s France Revisited blog.

The CSO Gospel Choir welcomed guest conductor Roland M. Carter for their debut performance in the 2009 Moja Arts Festival on October 3. Carter is a distinguished composer, especially noted as an authority on the performance and preservation of African American music. Click here for more information on the concert and Roland M. Carter.

The Moja Festival is a 25-year festival that highlights African-American and Carribean art, music, and dance. Click here for more information on the Moja Festival.