TIFTON – An electric night of soul-filled gospel music will surely bring the crowd to its feet as Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College presents “A Night of Choral Singing” featuring Frederick Shorter and the Blakely Mass Choir as part of the First Tuesday Concert Series. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. at ABAC’s Howard Auditorium.
The choir was founded in 1989 by Shorter, who continues to lead the group as its director. Shorter is an ordained Minister of Music, as are all the musicians who perform with the choir. In 2015, the choir released its first CD or original music, all written and arranged by Shorter.
At the National Independent Gospel Music Association Awards, the CD “He’s a Wonder” took home honors for Traditional Song of the Year “I’ve Got To Tell It” and Traditional Choir of the Year while also being nominated for Traditional CD of the Year, Community Choir of the Year, Best Recording Artist with a Featured Soloist, and Best Performance by Choir/Director.
“The Blakely Mass Choir is known around the country for its spiritual music and energetic performances,” said Dr. Jennifer Huang, the head of ABAC’s Department of Fine Arts. “The group has won many awards over the years, and it makes even more special to us that it is originally from our area. We are expecting it to be a special night.”
The choir was founded in Blakely at the Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church and has performed around the country over the years.
As well as leading the choir, Shorter is also a member of the ABAC faculty as an English professor in Bainbridge.
The First Tuesday Concert Series is in its 20th season and features regional professional artists on the first Tuesday of each month during the academic year. Each event is free and open to the public with not ticket required. For more information about the series, visit www.artsatabac.com/first-tuesdays.
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