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This week our featured Campus profile is on Voices of Imani, BC’s only gospel choir! The group is getting ready to perform for their annual Winter Jam in addition to their annual spring concert tour taking place in New Orleans this year. I had the opportunity to sit down with Voices’ Public Relations Manager, Bryan Paula, and ask him a few questions about his experiences as a sophomore in the choir.
What is Voices of Imani and what does it mean?
Voices of Imani is a gospel choir on campus and it was created in 1977 by a group of black students that united on campus to sing music that meant something to them, music that connected the with God in light of everything that was going on in America. It was like a wave of schools that were beginning to do that after the Civil Rights Movement just because black music became something that was very very prevalent for the movement. So I think Voices is just a reflection of that—students getting together and forming some kind of resistance to things that were going on in the community, in a place that doesn’t always feel like home. Voice is home regardless of what you look like, what you sing like—it’s a space for us to come together and praise.
What is a misconception people have about Voices?
Since we’re a gospel choir, people always assume that were uppity and that we don’t do anything fun and that we basically just go to practice and talk about God all of the time but that’s just not what were. Our message is open to all and that’s the amazing thing about God. He is able to connect all people regardless of what they believe. So I think a very big misconception is that Voices is not fun, that it’s just like churchy.
How can people get involved?
Our group holds no auditions and we meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Lyons 423 from 6:30-8:30pm.
What do you do on tour? What are you looking forward to specifically about NOLA?
Tour is really exciting because it’s nice to be able to get off campus and be able to see that the music we sing and the message that we have is something that we can foster beyond BC. It’s a lot of team bonding and going to different communities to see what their gospel experience is like. We also do community service and just try to get to know the community that we’re going to. I’m excited to see the history but also be conscious of where we are.
What has been your most powerful experience on Voices?
I didn’t go into Voices thinking that it would be something that I would continue throughout my time at BC but when you’re in a group of people that is so open about their different experiences and you start to sing the music, you just feel the power of knowing who God is. I think to me that is the most amazing experience I’ve had in Voices, just being in the room and singing and feeling like “oh, God is there.”
Why should people come to Winter Jam?
We’ve been working really hard to make this music and come back to our roots. It’ll definitely be a good break from studying and if you’re interested in music then you’ll definitely enjoy it.
Check out Voices of Imani at their first performance of the semester on February 26, 2017 at 6pm in the Rat. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more info!
Photo Sources:
facebook.com/voicesofimani