JOYFUL NOISE!
GOSPEL CELEBRATION
NOVEMBER 8–10, 2024
DOWNTOWN PENSACOLA
Join WSRE for an uplifting Foo Foo Fest event showcasing local talent and culture!
A three-part gospel celebration, featuring New York’s Sing Harlem choir and celebrating the cultural impact of gospel music, is coming to Foo Foo Fest this fall! WSRE PBS will present the Joyful Noise! Gospel Celebration from Friday to Sunday, Nov. 8–10, with three distinct events in downtown Pensacola.
THE MAIN EVENT is the regional gospel music competition from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Pensacola High School auditorium. In addition to featured performances by Sing Harlem, Dixon After Hours Performing Arts Academy, Pastor Larry Watson Jr., Solomon Bozeman and The Sounds of the Gulf Coast, and the Soulful Movement: Spirit of Excellence dance troupe, local music groups and choirs will sing for top honors.
Groups competing in the Joyful Noise! Gospel Competition: Back to Gospel; A Higher Calling; T.G. Unity; Voices of Victory Radio Choir; Voices of Intercession; The Visionaries; and Kingdom Ensemble. Competition judges are Sing Harlem director Ahmaya Knoelle Higginson, Mama Foundation for the Arts founder Vy Higginsen, music educator and blues preacher Eric Dozier, musician Gino Rosaria, former NFL player Fred Robbins and Donte Sheppard, Studer Community Institute Early Learning Development program manager.
Sing Harlem kicks off the event at noon! Doors open at 11:30am.
SATURDAY EVENT SCHEDULE:
FIRST HALF | 12PM–1:30PM
EMCEES: Sue Straughn & Pastor Lonnie Wesley
- Opening Performance: Sing Harlem
- Welcome Remarks: WSRE General Manager Jill Hubbs
- Special Performance: Dixon After Hours Performing Arts Program
- GOSPEL COMPETITION: Voices of Intercession; The Visionaires; T.G. Unity
- Special Performance: Soulful Movement: Spirt of Excellence
- LUNCH BREAK: Enjoy the food trucks!
SECOND HALF | 2:30PM–5PM
EMCEES: Dr. Rameca Vincent Leary & Pastor Larry Watson Jr.
- "GOSPEL" Film Screening: Introduced by Dr. Lusharon Wiley
- Special Performance: Pastor Larry Watson Jr.
- GOSPEL COMPETITION: Back to Gospel; A Higher Calling; Kingdom Ensemble; Voices of Victory Radio Choir
- Special Performance: Solomon Bozeman and The Sounds of the Gulf Coast
- Special Performance: Soulful Movement: Spirt of Excellence
- GOSPEL COMPETITION: Awards & Recognition
- Closing Remarks: WSRE General Manager Jill Hubbs
- Closing Performance: Sing Harlem
Saturday's event will be bookended by a private student workshop at Dixon School of Arts & Sciences on Friday, Nov. 8, and the sold-out Sunday gospel brunch on the lawn at Lily Hall on Nov. 10. Wear your Sunday best!
ABOUT SING HARLEM: Directed by Ahmaya Knoelle Higginson, Sing Harlem is a choir and social impact initiative for young people who have graduated from the Mama Foundation for the Arts’ music training program. Sing Harlem performs at prestigious venues nationwide and regularly performs for the Sunday gospel brunch at Red Rooster Harlem, a restaurant of PBS chef Marcus Samuelsson's ("No Passport Required"). The choir has performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The View,” “Good Morning America,” “America’s Got Talent,” “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” and the Grammy Awards. In March 2024, Sing Harlem received a standing ovation from the audience and a “YES” from all three judges on “America’s Got Talent” for their performance of “Amazing Grace.”
