Gospel Hallelujah Will Raise the Roof

The Evanston Symphony Orchestra welcomes for the second year in a row the popular Evanston Symphony Holiday Gospel Choir led by Rev Ken Cherry. The choir will once again sing a gospel version of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, which delighted audiences last year. The ESO in 2015 commissioned the orchestration of this piece, with funding from the Evanston Arts Council, so this performance and piece are uniquely and specially Evanstonian!

The ESO, North Shore Choral Society and Evanston Children’s Choir, plus the Evanston Symphony Holiday Gospel Choir organized by Rev. Kenneth Eugene Cherry, are performing the Hallelujah Chorus. This year, the choir also will perform Jesus, What a Wonderful Child.

The spirited, six-minute Hallelujah song is from the 1992 gospel album Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, a contemporary reinterpretation of Handel’s acclaimed 1741 classic conceived and put together by multi-award winner Quincy Jones. Soulful Celebration won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel album.

“People can look forward to a great piece of music,” said Rev. Cherry, who is pastor of Christ Temple Missionary Baptist Church and director of Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center in Evanston. “This arrangement will put you in the holiday spirit, with fabulous singing and music that everyone will enjoy.”