Recent News

Share this

Celebrate Black History Month with Voices of Praise & RWC Gospel Choir

Join the Roberts Wesleyan College Gospel Choir and Baber African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church Choir in celebrating Black History Month on Saturday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Shewan Recital Hall (Cultural Life Center). Experience the diversity of gospel music, ranging from traditional to contemporary styles. In an engaging mixture of lecture and song, director Julius Dicks masterfully weaves together the history of the spiritual and gospel music. Dicks remarks, “Once the slave era ended, gospel music entered. That means good news. We’re no longer slaves; we’re free now! That’s why gospel music is so jubilant, and that’s where it all starts.”

Julius grew up surrounded by gospel music at his home church. He quickly absorbed the style and discovered he could play by ear. Beginning piano lessons at the age of six, he was soon playing along.

Julius has attended Baber AME Church and worked with the choir for the last decade. He came to Roberts in the fall of 2016. To state his mission, he writes, “It is vitally important that we proclaim Jesus Christ in all of the songs we sing. And, for those who don’t know Him, we must do what it takes to draw them to Him.”

This is the first time his two choirs have collaborated, and he hopes their relationship will continue in the future. “I would hope this is the beginning of many other things – things that could go even higher.”

Being featured in the Cultural Life Center’s Performing Arts Series is a momentous opportunity for the RWC Gospel Choir. For Julius, the collaboration’s highlight is exposing the campus and community to gospel music, sometimes for the first time. “The highlight for me,” he mused, “is to give them something they’ve, in a sense, never had. It’s like giving a person food they’ve never tasted – something of another culture – but when they taste it, they like it!”

Come prepared to clap and sing along. In Julius’s words, “Gospel music has a lot of inspiration to it. It has a lot of enthusiasm. It’s not music you can just sit and listen to. The more you get involved in it, the more you’ll like it!” Join the celebration; perhaps you’ll gain something you never had.

Written by Emily Hutchinson, 1/17/19

For more news articles, you can take a look at our archive.