BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Gospel Choir will celebrate its 14th anniversary with a holiday concert Monday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Kevin P. Turner directs the choir. General admission tickets are $7; $6 for UAB employees and students with valid I.D. and for children 12 and under; and a special $5 group rate for 20 or more tickets, advance purchase required. Tickets are available at the Alys Stephens Box Office at 205-975-2787 and at the UAB Ticket Office at 205-934-8001. Advance purchase is strongly recommended.
The concert will feature music for the entire family, especially children. The UAB Gospel Choir is "pulling out all the stops," said Turner, with a cast of 125 voices, the UAB Gospel Choir mime and dance team under the direction of Christina J. Wade, the Gospel Choir Band and a guest horn section. The concert also will feature children from local schools. The program will include musical styles from around the nation, including Hawaiian, Memphis, Miami, bluegrass and urban contemporary, holiday classics, singalongs, traditional and acoustic songs. Selections include "Carol of the Bells," Ricky Dillard's "He's the Light" and "The Christmas Song," and arrangements by Turner.
The Alys Stephens Center will be decorated and photo opportunities will be available before the concert. Listen to WAGG 610 AM for ticket giveaways. DVD orders of the concert, placed that night, have a guaranteed mail date of Dec. 18 to arrive in time for the Christmas holidays, or arrangements can be made for pick-up at UAB on Dec. 18. Call 205-934-6155 for more DVD order details.
About UAB
The UAB Gospel Choir is a music performance class in the UAB Department of Music that is open to UAB students of all majors. One credit hour is earned for participating. The choir has grown from 38 voices in 1995 to an average of 145. The choir has released three CDs and a DVD, presented sold-out concerts at the Alys Stephens Center and tours annually. Its recordings are available on campus at Barnes & Noble @UAB, cdbaby.com, iTunes and Amazon.com. In 2008 the choir's song "After You've Prayed About It" debuted at No. 23 on XM Radio's Spirit Channel play list; two weeks later, it climbed to the No. 2 spot for six weeks. The choir will tour London and Holland in spring 2011.