About the Charleston Gospel Choir

Now in its twenty-fifth year, the Charleston Gospel Choir celebrates and performs gospel, spirituals, and sacred music for annual concert events including a Palm Saturday weekend performance, Charleston Gospel Christmas, and regional events throughout the Southeast with numerous engagements internationally including Paris, London, Rome, Prague, and Ghana, West Africa.

Building Bridges, Not Walls.
From earth-moving moans of Mahalia Jackson, to the smooth gospel sounds of Sam Cooke, to today’s acrobatic vocals of Kirk Franklin, gospel music does more than just sound sweet—it literally moves its listeners. Whether swaying to choirs or raising hands to the rhythm of soul-stirring crooners, gospel is one musical genre that should be both seen and heard. Once narrowly defined as religious, gospel has transcended those limits to become a profound force in American music and popular culture.

More than two decades ago, former Charleston Symphony Orchestra board member Lee Pringle knew it would be possible to establish a Charleston-based gospel choir that could both honor gospel’s musical pioneers while stretching the genre’s boundaries. By incorporating audio visuals and narration, the Charleston Gospel Choir’s productions preserve gospel’s authenticity and educate audiences on how this uniquely African-American tradition is the foundation for African-American influence on the world musical stage.

The all-volunteer, racially diverse Charleston Gospel Choir came together for the first time in August 2000 with over eighty voices and debuted the First Annual Gospel Choir Christmas that December in concert with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

Reviews describing the Choir’s performance as “history in the making in Charleston,” the group now regularly dazzles audiences around the world with its stirring and joyous performances. We invite you to see and hear for yourself this powerful musical tradition—a rousing expression of love and compassion for each other and the divine, a musical experience that will lift you up and never let you down.