Story by JaRel Clay | Photo by Daniel R. Doherty

     The Kent State University Gospel Choir was founded by Dr. Linda B. Walker in 1996. It is known for its excellent local, regional, national, and international reputation. Its members consist of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. The various ages, ethnic and racial backgrounds, disciplines, and religious beliefs involved with this choir make the choir one of the most diverse units at Kent State University. Although diversity is a great asset to this choir, someone who isn’t used to this environment may feel uncomfortable with the transition from prior experience with other choirs.
     Valencia Flannigan,19, is a sophomore early childhood education major. She grew up in Richmond Heights, a suburb of Cleveland. Flannigan is an active member of her praise and worship team at Euclid Four Square. She says their style of worship is relevant to the southern Baptist church with a new millennium twist. However, the transition to gospel choir was not so easy for the alto singer. Flannigan says she was a bit concerned with the diversity in the Kent State choir because of the predominately black choir at her church, to which she was so accustomed. She admits it took her a few practices to get used to singing with so many different types of voices from contemporary gospel to classical and soulful voices.
     “I love singing at my church and in the choir here in college,” Flannigan said. “My home church’s choir offers a sense of comfort to my usual style of singing, while the Kent State Gospel Choir challenges my performance with the versatility in its music and people.”
The once concerned freshman is now an active leader as the secretary of the gospel choir. She also participates in the praise dance/step team that is now an optional feature to the choir since last spring.
     The transition to the Kent State choir was not only a struggle for Flannigan; at first, other students of different cultures had some concerns as well. Rachel Watkins, 18, is a white student enrolled as a freshman at Kent State. She first started singing at Kent State in the Women’s Chorus.
     Watkins grew up in a small community outside of Columbus and was only exposed to classically structured choirs. With the diverse environment of the gospel choir, different opinions exist, and some people are not as acceptable to other cultures as others are. This fact will make the transition harder for people from smaller communities to adapt to such a large organization. Since Watkins had a strong background in singing prior to Kent State, she knew the transition from a classical choir to a soulful, gospel choir would be easier for her than most. What concerned her, however, were the personalities of different people in the choir.
     “I was nervous at the first practice, but after seeing how friendly and acceptable the people were, I was so comfortable singing and performing with the choir,” Watkins said.
     Watkins is an active leader in the alto section and participates in fundraising for the choir.
     Canton is the hometown of a few gospel choir members, including 19-year-old sophomore, Payton Curtis. During his childhood, Curtis was not an active member of any church, not to mention a gospel choir. When Curtis came to college, he was unaware of any choir on the Kent State campus. As he started asking upperclassmen about choirs on campus he heard good and bad things about the gospel choir and Voices of Testimony Gospel Choir.
     “Singing in my high school choir was nothing compared to the singing we do in the gospel choir at Kent,” Curtis said. “I did not expect our choir to be so great because I was not at an (Historcially Black College and University)”
     The presence of other cultures in the choir concerned Curtis because he had a misconception that a predominately African American choir would provide a better, richer sound. He also did not understand the meaning behind wearing the African Kente.
     While Cutis was unsure about the choir’s wardrobe, Walker chose the dress for a very particular reason.
     “The reason for choosing Kente was to show our differences, but embrace our similarities” Walker said. “In the Kente cloth, different and bright colors of fabric are woven together to make the pattern. KSU Gospel Choir members are different colors and hues woven together for a singular purpose – to sing gospel music.”
     Curtis later realized as long as the talent and passion is apparent, any choir with multiple cultures can have a strong, gospel sound.
     “I love the sound, the blend and the look of the choir as it stands now,” Curtis said.
     Along with Flannigan, Curtis also participates in the praise dance/step team.
     Flannigan, Watkins and Curtis work with the rest of the choir as one unit despite their completely different upbringings and religious practices