The Bangkok Music Society welcomes its first ever visitors from the USA, the Morgan State University Choir, with a performance of traditional American gospel music, spirituals and popular songs at Christ Church, Convent Road, on May 22 at 7pm.

Touring Southeast Asia for the first time, this prestigious choral ensemble is one of the top university choral ensembles in the US. Known for its blend of classical, gospel and popular music with a special focus on preserving the heritage of spirituals, the choir has performed with many top orchestras such as the Philadelphia, New York Philharmonic, Chicago and National Symphony.

Directed by Eric Conway since 2004, the choir has delivered notable performances including a tribute to Rosa Parks at the US Capitol; a 2015 White House concert with gospel legends at First Lady Michelle Obama's request; and a 2018 European tour of Slovakia, Germany and Austria. That same year, they performed Bernstein's Mass with Johns Hopkins University's Peabody Symphony Orchestra under maestra Marin Alsop.

Internationally, the choir has toured across six continents, sharing their music in countries such as Russia, Greece, Spain, China, South Africa, Brazil, UK and Italy, as well as more in the Middle East, West Indies and South America. Through these performances, they serve as cultural ambassadors for their home city, Baltimore, Maryland and the US.

For the upcoming show, the Bangkok Music Society Choir will also perform a song with the MSU Choir as well as their own contrasting pieces, conducted by Jane Humberstone, to provide an enjoyably wide mixture of musical genres.

With two very different choirs together, this promises to be a lively, entertaining concert that includes traditional American music rhythms rarely performed live for music lovers in Bangkok.

Tickets cost 300 baht (200 baht for students and seniors from 65 years) and are available at the door.

Visit bangkokmusicsociety.com.

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