and SUZANNE MOORE
Features Editor
May 08, 2008 04:00 am
—
PLATTSBURGH -- When Michelle Nobel-Coursey was asked to help organize a campus gospel choir at Plattsburgh State, she never imagined it would become a kind of college institution.
That first year, the choir had just five or six members; now, 17 years later, it has close to 60 voices, with about 10 instrumentalists.
Students earn credit for participating.
"We have an office," said Music Adviser Sally Urban. "We've had a consistent audience base -- we've filled Giltz (Auditorium) the last couple Christmas concerts."
"It's like watching your baby grow up," said Nobel-Coursey, who graduated in 1994 and is now a school reading specialist in Massachusetts.
Saturday, she returns to co-emcee the 15th-annual Plattsburgh State Gospelfest, a performance of contemporary and traditional gospel music kicked off by the smaller Praise and Worship Team singers and featuring the Gospel Choir, with dance by the Step Team and the Praise Dancers. And the special guest group will be the first-ever Plattsburgh State Alumni Choir.
That group will include at least 35 past members of the Gospel Choir who will sing two selections then join the present membership in the concert finale. As well, many alumni will join the Gospel Choir as soloists throughout the concert.
HONORED ALUMNI
Seeds for the Alumni Choir were sowed several months ago.
"Last fall, during Homecoming weekend, we (the choir) sang that Sunday morning," Urban said. "We always have a lot of alumni in the audience.
"We had a couple of them join us for the last song we sang -- we pulled them up there," she laughed.
One of those was Nobel-Coursey, who heard the choir again in January at the Flynn Theater in Burlington.
"I think that they were phenomenal," she said.
As Urban and others planned the upcoming event, they decided they'd honor the alumni in different ways, including using the black and purple colors worn at the very first Gospelfest.
At some point, the idea of honoring those past members morphed into including them.
Music Director Dexter Criss said that pulling people together for the Alumni Choir from New York City, Albany, Massachusetts and as far away as Atlanta really wasn't that difficult.
"To our surprise, they were really excited. ... We have some (taking part) that we thought would never come back."
A JOYOUS TIME
Criss, himself, is a Plattsburgh State alum.
"It was a brilliant idea," he said. "I'm excited that so many students are coming back."
He understands the connection they feel with the group.
"I just want to be a lifelong supporter."
Alumni Etsuko Rucker and Samy Joseph will direct the returning choir members, who will sing John P. Kee's "Jesus is Real" and "Faithful is our God," composed by Hezekiah Walker.
"I forwarded the lyrics to every person that expressed interest and the mp3 of the original songs," Urban said. "We'll just have these two rehearsals (this week) and pull it together."
Playing piano will be Bishop Franklin Blanks, pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Plattsburgh.
"He was involved, too, in the early years of the choir," Urban said.
Excitement and a sense of nostalgia will color the performances, but a deeper emotion will weave itself through the music, too.
It's been a season of loss for some choir members, three of whom suffered the loss of parents over just the last three months.
Closing the concert, with the students and alumni raising their voices all in unison, will be Walker's powerful and sentimental piece "I Need You to Survive."
"I think that it will be an emotional concert," Urban said, "but overall, I think that it will be a joyous time."
smoore@pressrepublican.com
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