IN RUDDER AUDITORIUM ON NOVEMBER 21 (7:30 PM)
COLLEGE STATION TX: “Holidays Are Coming!” That’s the title of the concert THE KINGDOM CHOIR will perform in Rudder Auditorium on Thursday, November 21 (7:30 PM) as part of the OPAS 2024-25 “Legends & Icons” season. Tickets to the one-night-only concert event, the first performance on the “Singular Sensations” series, range from $26-$83 are on sale now at the MSC Box Office (979-845-1234) and online at www.OPAStickets.org. Special ticket prices are available for Texas A&M University students.
OPAS Executive Director Anne Black states, “The holiday season is a time for spreading peace and joy. With infectious joy and unbridled spirit, no group does that better than The Kingdom Choir.” Anne continues, “We can’t wait to kick-off this special time of year in the Brazos Valley with this concert that will include soulful renditions of traditional gospel classics and popular contemporary music with their own inspirational versions of holiday works. It’s perfect for the entire family!”
On November 21, audiences can expect to hear a lot of classics like “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “This Christmas,” “Silent Night,” “Joy To the World, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and many, many more.
London’s The Kingdom Choir first attracted the world’s attention with their show-stopping performance of “Stand By Me” in front of a world-wide television audience of over two billion at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018. Since that infamous day, the Choir’s infectious joy and spirit, matched only by their raw Gospel spiritual style, has taken them around the world including a debut North American tour in 2019 which took them to 29 cities including New York, Montreal, Toronto, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl.
Founded in 1994 by award-winning conductor Karen Gibson, the Choir draws from various Christian traditions and is dedicated to creating a sound that reflects the community they share through their warm energy and enthusiastic performances. The Choir’s recording of “Stand By Me” went straight to the top of the Billboard charts and they released a ful- length recording on Sony Music. The Choir has performed and told their overnight success story through numerous media outlets including ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, NBC’s The Today Show (where they welcomed Hoda Kotb on her return from maternity leave), NPR’s All Things Considered, The Kelly Clarkson Show, The New York Times and many more.
Karen Gibson, highly acclaimed choir conductor and workshop leader, is a powerhouse of inspiration and energy. Proclaimed “Britain’s Godmother of Gospel” by The Guardian, Karen’s experience is extensive. She has been involved with vocal groups and choirs for over 30 years, conducting gospel workshops across the UK and Europe as well as Nigeria, Japan, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and the USA. She has been instrumental in drawing together and conducting some of the most prestigious large-scale choirs for a variety of gospel and community initiatives. Karen has also run workshops for aspiring gospel conductors in the UK, Poland, Norway and Italy.
Karen has been privileged to witness the joy of gospel via the many community gospel choirs she has worked with across England, including the choir she established in her own local community – Gospel on The Rise. Her passion for the genre has seen her delivering sessions in schools, teaching singing and training future leaders in the art of singing and leading gospel music.
For more information, please visit www.OPAStickets.org. OPAS programs are made possible in part through hotel tax revenue funded from The Arts Council and City of College Station.