Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir is a London-based, auditioned gospel choir whose mission is "to spread a message of faith, hope, and love through contemporary gospel music; to create performances full of life-affirming joy and soulful celebration, collaborating with other artists and art forms; and to support and work with a diverse range of like-minded churches, charities, and communities."[1]
| Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir | |
|---|---|
| Choir | |
 Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir singing outside at St James's Church, Piccadilly in 2018 | |
| Former name | St Patrick's Gospel Choir |
| Origin | London |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Miko Giedroyc, Tracey Jane Campbell |
| Genre | Gospel Music |
| Organist | Miko Giedroyc |
| Chief conductor | Clarence Hunte, Chris Bullock |
| Influences | Kirk Franklin, Donald Lawrence, Trey McLaughlin, Kim Burrell |
| Website | www |
In pursuit of this goal, the choir which became a registered charity and incorporated organisation in January 2018 currently has three main activities: first, Soul at Saint James,[2][3] an outdoor festival of music and spoken word at St James's Piccadilly on the first Sunday of the month, themed each month according to a fundamental human value and accessible to all comers, not just church goers; second, regular ministry and concerts at St Martin-in-the-Fields; and third, prison ministry, usually in prison chapels but also elsewhere.
Otherwise the choir has a full diary of other performances and recordings, highlights of which were singing on Mica Paris's first gospel album[4] "Gospel" and in Sky Arts "The Night Watchmen's Nativity" in 2020,[5] the 2021 Festival of Remembrance at The Albert Hall and in the 2023 feature film "Greatest Days".
Recordings
edit- With All Your Soul (2013)
- Silent Night (2017)
- You Are The Key (2018)
Notable Appearances
edit- The Resurrection (The Jazz Cafe, 2015 & 2018)[6]
- Red Wednesday - Aid to the Church in Need (2016, 2017)
- HMP Wandsworth (Easter 2018)
- Anniversary of Grenfell Tragedy (2018)[7]
- Greenbelt (2017,[8] 2018[9])
- Lost and Found (Adoremus Festival, Liverpool, 2018)[10]
- Church of England "Follow The Star" Advert (2019)[11]
- A Night to Remember (with Mica Paris) at St Edmundsbury Cathedral[12]
- 'The Prayer' - virtual choir video made during the coronavirus lockdown (2020)[13]
- 'Rise Within Us - The Coming of the Spirit' recording celebrating Pentecost, dedicated to the staff and prisoners of HMP Wandsworth, released 31 May 2020[14]
- 'Keep Our Doors Open' Fundraising Concert for St Martin-in-the-Fields, 31 May 2020[15]
- Recording of 'Lean on Me' to commemorate third anniversary of Grenfell Tower Fire.[16]
BBC Recordings
edit- 'Easter Glory', BBC Radio 2, Maida Vale Studios, Easter Sunday 2015[17]
- 'Sunday Worship' BBC Radio 4, St James's Church, Piccadilly 2015
- 'At the foot of the Cross', BBC Radio 2, Maida Vale Studios, Good Friday 2016[18]
- 'Sunday Worship', BBC Radio 4, Maida Vale Studios, Christmas 2016[19]
- 'Sunday Worship', BBC Radio 4, St Martin in the Fields, Christmas 2017[20]
- 'Daily Service', BBC Radio 4, Maida Vale Studios, Summer 2018
- 'Get Up and Flee- The Flight to Egypt[21]', BBC Radio 4
- 'At the foot of the Cross', BBC Radio 2, Maida Vale Studios, Good Friday 2020 (pre-recorded)[22]
TV appearances
editIn 2019, the choir appeared in the second of a two part TV documentary, 'Britain's Easter Story' which was presented by Gareth Malone and Karen Gibson. The 5 minute segment of the documentary showed the choir in rehearsal at Farm Street Church followed by a performance in church. The choir performed excerpts from 'The Resurrection' a selection of contemporary gospel songs, which tell the story of Jesus's resurrection.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "What We Do | Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir, Gospel Choir for Hire, Join a Gospel Choir, London UK". Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ Pritchard Gordon, Chloe. "Soul at St James Free Monthly Event From 1 August 2021". Keep The Faith.
- ^ "Soul at Saint James". SJP. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ Campbell, Joel (2020-12-04). "Mica Paris is back with 'Gospel'". Voice Online. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ Moorhead, Joanna (2020-11-29). "Gospel choir celebrate everyday heroes in a gritty nativity remake". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "Church Times Review of The Resurrection at the Jazz Cafe".
- ^ "Grenfell survivors and bereaved lead minute's silence on anniversary of fire". ITV News. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
- ^ "Church Times Review of Greenbelt 2017".
- ^ "Church Times Review of Greenbelt 2018".
- ^ "Review of Adoremus Festival".
- ^ Staff writer (2019-12-08). "Refugees and asylum seekers star in Church of England's Christmas advert". christiantoday.com. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
- ^ Langford, Mark. "Masterchefs! Catering students shine at glittering event". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
- ^ Dennis, O'Neil (2020-04-10). "Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir provide an Easter offering for a world in crisis". Step FWD UK Christian Chart. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- ^ "Gospel Choir releases song for Pentecost". Catholic Bishops' Conference. 2020-05-26. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
- ^ Graham, Margaret (2020-05-27). "Keep our Doors Open You Tube concert". Frost Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
- ^ "Video Commemorating Third Anniversary of Grenfell Tower Fire". You Tube.
- ^ "Review of Easter programming from the BBC".
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - At the Foot of the Cross, Behind the Scenes - 2016 - Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir - At the Foot of the Cross 2016". BBC. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Sunday Worship, Hear the Good News, Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir - Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir". BBC. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
- ^ "Gospel Carol Service". St Martin-in-the-Fields. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Sunday Worship, 'Get up and flee!' - The Flight to Egypt". BBC. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - At the Foot of the Cross, At the Foot of the Cross". BBC. Retrieved 2020-04-07.