Ithaca College

Some 250 young gospel singers from high schools in Maryland, Florida and New York will join forces on Saturday, April 9, for the sixth annual Ithaca College Gospel Invitational Music Festival. Free and open to the public, the event will begin at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music.

The two-day festival will be directed by Baruch Whitehead and Janet Galvan from Ithaca College and include guest clinician Linda R. Hall, Choral Director at the Baltimore City College High School in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jeffery Meyer, will collaborate on this concert.

“Sponsored by the School of Music, this event will give deserving underrepresented students a rare opportunity to be taught by and work with luminaries of gospel music while taking part in gospel music’s rich heritage,” said Baruch Whitehead, associate professor of music education and organizer of the event.

“The singers participating in this concert were highly recommended by their teachers,” Whitehead said. “They come from areas where they don’t have opportunities to perform in select groups, let alone work with acclaimed clinicians and teachers. This will be a wonderful experience for everyone involved.”

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation should contact the School of Music at 607-274-3717 or ekibelsbeck@ithaca.edu as much in advance of the event as possible.