Portland Interfaith Gospel Choir
Who We Are
We are a 501(c)3 non-profit choir formed in 2011 and directed since 2012 by LaRhonda Steele, the award-winning First Lady of Portland Blues.
Our Mission
Our mission is to employ Gospel music to express the power of spirit, and bring a message of faith, hope, love, and joy to our community, the country and the world;
to exemplify through interfaith, multiracial, and multicultural membership, the principals of equality, justice, peace, unity, and cooperation; and to serve as a model for what is possible among people.
Upcoming Events
History of Black Gospel Music
African American Gospel Music is a form of euphoric, rhythmic, spiritual music rooted in the solo and responsive church singing of the African American South. Its development coincided with--and is germane to--the development of rhythm and blues. During the 1930s, Gospel music emerged from the coalescing of three types of musical activity: a) the hymn style of Charles Albert Findley (1851-1933), Philadelphia minister who composed hymns based on negro spirituals, adding instrumental accompaniments, improvisation and "bluesified" third and seventh intervals; b) the minimalist, solo-sung "rural Gospel" tunes that appeared as a counterpart to the rural blues; and c) the uninhibited, exuberant worship style of the Holiness-Pentacostal branch of the Christian church. (From: Library of Congress)
Learn More With These Resources:
Movies
Let the Church Say Amen (2013)
How They Got Over (2017)
