Singing songs of the Spirit, the Gospel Ensemble keeps the faith

You might have heard them sing when they visited your residential college dining hall, as many of the campus vocal groups did during the first few weeks of the semester. Perhaps they performed an upbeat piece such as "Shake" or "He Rains." Maybe they chose the emotional melody, "God Can Heal." Or they could have favored "Jesus" or "Job's Song" that day.

Though it has a wide repertoire of songs from which to choose, the Princeton University Gospel Ensemble specializes in more than making music — the group's emotionally-charged sound grows out of the religious dedication of its members.

"The music comes from every African-American origin that you can think of . . . hymns, gospel, contemporary . . . student written," said Erica Dickson '01, vice president and treasurer for the ensemble. Sources for the group's music include the Christian composers Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond, the Chicago Mass Choir and Christian hip-hop.

When asked to speak about the religious aspect of the group, Nicholas Marchand '04, a new member, immediately responded, "That's what it's all about . . . going out and giving praise to God . . . and bringing the Gospel to others through music."

Essentially, the Gospel Ensemble provides "a different worship opportunity for African Americans on campus," according to Cindy Terlonge '01, the Gospel Ensemble president.

The emphasis the group places on spirituality minimizes competition among those who intend to join the ensemble. "We don't really have auditions, because it's about inclusion and spreading the Gospel."

Marchand agrees that entering the group is a laid-back process. "You come in and you want to sing with them," he said. "You want to praise God, and that's what they let you do."

This leniency opens up the ensemble to members with a variety of musical experience. Though a significant portion of the singers have performed or heard gospel music all or almost all their lives, there are also members who are experiencing this musical form for the first time.

"When I first started, I had never sung in a choir ever before," Terlonge said. "But when you focus on spreading the Gospel, your talents come out."

Typically more women than men join the singing group, and this year was no exception. Out of 13 members, three are men. But Marchand claims he feels no pressure to make his voice carry over the other parts. "You sing the part that you sing, because that's your voice," he said. And then the blend occurs naturally.

Though the group consistently emanates strong energy, the actual number of members varies from year to year. Terlonge said membership level is "very cyclical."

Seven years ago, the Gospel Ensemble executed a strong performance in Richardson Auditorium with only four members. The next semester, high enrollment gave the group 30 members.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

This year's small ensemble boasts individuals with a variety of different interests and musical experiences. There are two freshmen, a sociology major, a pre-med student and an engineer. There are also three members of the Princeton community, who simply showed up at the Activities Fair with an enthusiasm for gospel music and a desire to join the ensemble.

Kenny Grayson, a member of the campus staff, has been a member of the Gospel Ensemble for the entire 29 years of its existence. Though he does not rehearse with the group on a regular basis, group members said his moral support has been indispensible. Grayson occasionally sings a solo as one of the "spotlights" in performances.

The group values the members who come from outside the student body. Sabrina Pendergrass '02, the Gospel Ensemble's musical director, commented that these singers are "really committed . . . It gives us a stable basis. Students can get caught up in school work. It's good to have people who always come to performances."

Overall, members feel unified. "I think it's a tight-knit group," Tara Spencer '03 said. Pendergrass echoed that sentiment. "We're pretty much family," she said. "[In] gospel, we don't just go out and minister to people . . . it's ministry within a group. It gives us an outlet — takes our minds off academic pressures. It's a bonding thing, like any group on campus, getting each other through Princeton."

Rehearsals begin with an opening prayer followed by warm-up exercises. Half-way through practicing their pieces, the group conducts a five to 15-minute devotional, in which a few members read a verse from the Bible or discuss the spiritual dimensions of one of the pieces.

Practice also includes prayer requests and praise reports, which consist of "telling how God is good and what great things He's done in your life."

Praise reports provide the singers with a chance to "share with each other the things that go on, both positive and negative, in our lives," said Dickson. The group members believe God acts through both the blessings and trials in a week.

The Gospel Ensemble usually performs twice during the academic year, but this year the group plans to forego the fall semester performance in favor of a larger spring semester event, as well as a Reunions concert.

In concert the ensemble performs both a cappella and with instrumentation, including keyboard, bass and drums. Audrey Wright of the University Jazz Ensemble frequently accompanies the group.

Spirituality takes center stage in performances just as in rehearsals. "When we perform we give all of our praise to God, and the reaction we get is [the audience's] form of praising God," Dickson said. "It's a room full of praising God, and that's an awesome feeling."

Recently the ensemble performed three pieces in New York at a Holiday Gospel Concert at which the group met the members of the Columbia University Christian a cappella group. Students in the Gospel Ensemble are looking forward to traveling to various performances next semester.

"This semester we're singing really basic songs — praise and worship songs," Pendergrass said. "We sound really good when we sing them."

According to Terlonge, the group is also "trying to incorporate things that sound like hip-hop" this semester, in addition to the established repertoire.

And so far this goal is being met. "We just get into practice and I teach the parts . . . we're focused . . . we're learning quickly," Pendergrass said. "It's going well."