Gospel music will soon fill Slee Hall on Saturday in the 22nd annual Gospel Explosion, a free event hosted by the UB Gospel Choir.
The festivities will begin at 6 p.m. and will provide a spiritual and motivational environment for a diverse group of listeners.
"The Gospel Explosion is open for everyone to come and enjoy," said Yesenia Iglesias, marketing officer for the UB Gospel Choir.
The UB Gospel Choir, which was instituted in 1978 with the name UB Gospel Singers, consider themselves to be a ministry, not just a choir.
"We're a very welcoming organization and we know that as students go away to college, they lose sight of their beliefs and morals," Iglesias said. "We are here to help find and restore the faith in a world that is losing its faith."
Iglesias said she is proud that the UB Gospel Choir is a mixed unit of 20 students who sing and share a common interest, which is unusual compared to other ministries on campus that may be restricted to a specific religion.
"We are a very diverse choir compared to ministries on campus and we welcome anyone's participation," she said.
Along with an open invitation to Gospel Explosion, Iglesias also welcomes participants to join the UB Gospel Choir, if they enjoy singing or if they want to relieve stress by listening to music.
"We welcome students to come to practice if they are interested in joining, or if they want to relieve stress from finals and tests," Iglesias said.
Samille Reddic, vice president of the UB Gospel Choir, said that Gospel Explosion is more than just singing and rejoicing.
"We are trying to help familiarize people with the Gospel as well as to let them know that we are not just singers, but that we are a ministry as well and we are open to people from all different backgrounds," she said.
In the past, the UB Gospel Choir has performed at various colleges in the Buffalo area, some of which will be participating in Gospel Explosion this Saturday.
"We will be having gospel groups from Canisius College, Daemen College, as well as a live jazz band who will all be performing music related to gospel," said Olayemi Ola, president of the UB Gospel Choir.
According to Ola, the purpose of the concert is to reach out to students and members of the Buffalo and UB communities with the positive messages gospel music has to offer.
"This will be a gospel concert in order to reach out to everyone, no matter their race, creed, or ethnicity," said Ola.
The Rev. Pedro A. Castro Jr., the faculty advisor for the UB Gospel Choir, attended the concert last year and stated that Gospel Explosion is an example of what students are doing with their time on campus.
"I was there last year and it really brings the campus community together," said Castro. "It gives people an idea of what campus life is like and what students are up to."
Yesenia Iglesias said that Gospel Explosion is a celebration of life, and an event they hope all will feel comfortable attending.
"You can be a skeptic and leave the show as a non-skeptic. If you come to the performance feeling stressed or feeling sadness, we want you to be fulfilled when you leave, if you do leave with a sense of fulfillment, then we have done our job," she said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
