New Lord Mayor of Leeds, Abigail Marshall-Katung invited our Community Gospel Choir to perform at her Inauguration and Civic Service at Leeds Minster on Sunday 9 June.
Based in the Lord Mayor’s ward – Little London & Woodhouse – Abigail is a huge advocate of Music House. A frequent visitor, she recognises the difference Music House is striving to make to the lives of local, underprivileged residents of all ages.
For her wonderful event on Sunday at the stunning Leeds Minster, our Gospel Community Choir gave a magical performance of two of Abigail’s most cherished songs: ‘Many Rivers to Cross’ and ‘Amazing Grace’. The performance – around eight minutes – was pure Gospel magic and had everyone sitting on the edge of their seats.
The arrangement of the two songs was created by our very own Creative Director, Christella Litras (and we will be posting this video on our socials and website soon so keep a look out!).
In preparation, three weeks ago, the Choir rehearsed the songs in the presence of Abigail – she was moved to tears.
Formed just over two months ago, the FREE Community Gospel Choir has members from 14 years upwards. The wonderfully, diverse Choir has over 50 members who meet weekly to sing songs and harmonies that have been passed down through generations. Each and every one of the Choir agrees it’s the highlight of their week and singing for Abigail was a dream come true!
Led by multi-award winning and MOBO nominee, Leroy Johnson said:
“I was delighted to be asked by Music House to be involved with the creation of their Gospel Community Choir. I can’t believe the energy that everyone brings.
“Every week I see members grow with confidence as they develop, there’s laughter, a mix of emotions, everyone’s faces light up as they sing, clap and dance like no-one is watching… and the friendships are real.
“I feel truly proud Music House has created a free choir for the community and I believe signing for our Lord Mayor is just the start of a magical journey, so watch this space!”
The Community Gospel Choir is just one of many free choirs the Charity has created. After listening to requests from local residents, it became clear there was a lack of accessible, Gospel choirs in Leeds, so the Charity took action to address this.
Music House is determined to create experiences for people in its surrounding areas where low income families live; and where there is very few free activities for people of all ages. Their music hub in Woodhouse is a ‘safe-space’ and the doors are open for anyone wanting to learn music, sing, socialise and be creative with likeminded people.
Here are a few photos from Sunday’s performance…
