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Hartsville, S.C. — The Coker College Singers and Chamber Singers will perform spiritual and gospel works in their annual spring concert on Sunday, April 11 at 6 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Hartsville. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

The Coker choirs will perform selected works by composers Thomas Dorsey, Hall Johnson and Robert Ray, as well as an arrangement by John Rutter. A highlight of the concert will be Ray’s popular “Gospel Mass.” Composed in 1978, it is an interpretation of 2,000 years of liturgical tradition with more contemporary music from the African-American church.

Soloist in the concert will be Coker College students Julio Ruiz (tenor), Avery Bateman (soprano), Kyle Berry, Amesha Johnson, Jasmine Stevenon, Ashley West, and Jon Moree. The accompanist will be Ronda McElveen. Musicians Pat Youngblood (guitar), Steve Rogers (bass guitar), Charles Helms Jr. (saxophone), and Adam Brown (drums) will provide additional accompaniment.

The Coker College Singers and Chamber Singers are directed by Dr. William Carswell, associate professor of music and director of choral and vocal studies. In addition to teaching, Carswell is an active clinician, guest conductor and adjudicator throughout the South. He holds a doctorate in music from the University of South Carolina and joined the Coker College faculty in 2002.

Founded in 1908, the Coker Singers is the premiere choral ensemble of the College. The group has performed throughout the Carolinas as well as in Atlanta, New Orleans, and Birmingham. Other recent engagements include performances at the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, and at Carnegie Hall and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.

The Coker Chamber Singers were formed in 2005. It is an auditioned choir that studies and performs choral chamber works of all musical periods.

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