On Sunday, February 27 at 4:30 p.m. the Inspirational Gospel Choir of the Washington Metropolitan AME Zion Church will celebrate Black History Month with a concert entitled: African American Music: We’ve Come This Far By Faith.
The concert will take place at Washington Metropolitan AME Zion Church, 613 N. Garrison, where the Rev. Anthony Witherspoon is pastor. Sponsored by the Metropolitan Day Committee, admission is free.
The concert will be a retrospective of African American spiritual music, beginning with hymns originating from our European heritage, Negro spirituals and classical, traditional and contemporary gospel. A highlight will be a performance by the Washington Metropolitan AME Praise Dancers.
The Inspirational Gospel Choir began in 1997 under the direction of Warner Christopher White. Following White, the baton was passed to Maestro Robert Ray, director of the Saint Louis Symphony In Unison Chorus. The Choir presented its first concert in 2002 when the group performed Ray’s Gospel Mass.
he group is currently under the direction of Mark Brooks, vocal instructor at Ronald E. McNair School in University City. Brooks is a music major graduate of Webster University, studied voice/opera at Northwestern University and completed educational research at New York University.
Washington Metropolitan AME Zion Church was organized in 1865. It is the largest church in the AME Zion Missouri Conference. The Church is recognized throughout the community and the denomination for its outstanding music ministry.
Washington Metropolitan’s mission is to be an instrument in the community n focusing on building unity and cohesion. In 1978, the church was instrumental in sustaining the surrounding neighborhood with the establishment of the Lucas Heights Redevelopment Corporation, which included new housing n Lucas Heights Village 192-garden apartment complex, Metropolitan Village senior living and handicapped apartments, and a 250-unit housing complex designed for small families.
Washington Metropolitan has been designated as a Historic Landmark by the city of St. Louis.
