The Cochran Chapel was ringing with spirit Saturday night, as it welcomed Gospelfest 2009, an annual gospel music celebration to benefit the Sojourner Truth Scholarship Fund. The Phillips Academy Gospel Choir hosted two local choirs, the Lawrence Evangelical Church Worship Team and the Reunion Choir of the Union United Methodist Church. Prior to the performance, Hobert Yates, the director of PA’s Gospel Choir, encouraged the audience to clap their hands or stand up at any point in the performance if they felt inspired. Many audience members indeed responded to his recommendation, jumping to their feet as PA’s Gospel Choir opened the nearly two hours of singing with “The Sanctuary,” a lively preview of the night’s music. The Choir then treated the audience with a slower song called “I Love the Lord,” featuring a solo from Isabella Uria ’10 and offering an impressive contrast from the previous upbeat song. Following this piece, the Choir performed the two songs they sang at the Martin Luther King All School Meeting, including “Because of Who You Are” with splendid solos by Ijeoma Ejiogu ’11, Chelsea Quezergue ’10 and Katya Aubrey, a soulful 11th grader at Andover High School, who has been singing with PA’s Gospel Choir for three years. The final song was the catchy “God’s Children” that did not leave a soul in his or her seat. The Lawrence Evangelical Church Worship Team then took the stage. The LEC Worship Team, a young, four member group headed by Joel Gonzalez ’09, may have been far fewer in number, but certainly not in enthusiasm and talent. The three lead singers sang with a devotion and joy akin to professional vocalists, coaxing one and all to stand and sway in rhythm with the exceptional choir. Renese King, the director of the Reunion Choir, sang a stirring rendition of “Standing on Holy Ground.” Her choir joined her onstage for a few songs. The choir exuded a decidedly spiritual feeling like a Sunday morning prayer service. At a point during one of the songs, a choir member preached to the audience, calling them to stand up in their seats if they felt Jesus within. Perhaps the most touching lyricism—regardless of religious affiliation—that gospel patrons left humming in their heads Saturday night was Renese King’s verse, one that all students should learn to sing at the top of their lungs: “All around Andover, I’m gonna let it shine! Let it Shine! Let it Shine! Let it Shine!” “As president of the Andover Christian Society, I appreciated the religious aspect,” said Jane Thomas ’10. She added, “It gratifies me to see a mainstream event have a religious tone because it’s a subject we often skirt.” The evening concluded with the famous spiritual “This Little Light of Mine” sung by all three choirs, who used their improvisation skills to put the unrehearsed finale together. Gloria Odusote ’09 ran through the audience, letting various audience members sing a solo with some impromptu lyrics.
