Voices of Unity Celebrates 20 Years of Gospel Music at New Paltz

NEW PALTZ — Voices of Unity, a student gospel choir at SUNY New Paltz, will celebrate its 20th anniversary at its annual fall concert at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18 at Studley Theater.

To commemorate this major milestone, the 25-member choir will be joined by about 20 alumni.

“This is the ultimate opportunity to hear great gospel music,” says Cynthia Graham, Voices of Unity’s president and a senior majoring in Black Studies and Psychology. “We have a lot of very talented people coming back.”

The choir began in 1980 as a dream with a few friends singing in a residence hall room. Today, the choir is supported by the university’s Student Association and is accredited through the Black Studies program.

The choir maintains a full performance schedule, mainly singing at churches in the Hudson Valley and New York City. Over the years, Voices of Unity has performed with various distinguished college gospel choirs, including Howard University, University of Virginia, West Point and Syracuse University. Each Thanksgiving, the choir travels to Atlanta to participate in the National Black Gospel Choir Workshop.

Saturday’s concert is open to the public. Tickets cost $5 for members of the general public, $4 for faculty and $3 for SUNY New Paltz students. Contact Cynthia Graham at 257-5782 for more information.