The University of Mississippi Gospel Choir has offered fellowship, support and community for students since the 1970s. The choir, which is open to all and does not require auditions, is Grammy-nominated and the first college gospel choir to sign with a major gospel record label, Malaco Records, in 1999.
Raquel Gordon, a freshman elementary education major from Gulfport, Miss., described why she joined the choir.
“I got involved through my friends who are in the choir. I was a little shy about coming, but I went to the gospel concert in the fall, and I loved it,” Gordon said. “So this spring semester, I attended the interest meeting and joined the choir.”
Aliyah Bishop, a member of the executive board and a senior psychology major from Taylor, Miss., spoke about the importance of community and spirituality fostered by the choir.
“I feel like the legacy is amazing, and I wanted to find my community — not just within the Black community — but in something that would tie me to my spiritual roots as well, so the Gospel Choir has been that for me,” Bishop said.
Freshman biological science major Jayden Lawrence from Houston, Miss., and a member of the executive board described his lifelong commitment to singing and what drew him to the choir.
“What drew me in was my interest in singing,” Lawrence said. “I’ve been singing all my life, so when I came here I wanted to find a common social group I could share interests with.”
UMGC is dedicated not only to the university’s community but also to the Oxford community as a whole.
Christyn Maxwell, a senior exercise science major from Olive Branch, Miss. spoke of the benefit of the choir’s community outreach.
“Our free performances give the Oxford community an opportunity to engage with our choir, fostering unity and inclusivity across different backgrounds,” Maxwell said. “Seeing how our music lifts people’s spirits reminds us that what we do is bigger than just singing — it’s about spreading love, faith and hope.”
The University of Mississippi’s Gospel Choir will celebrate its 50th anniversary performance on Saturday, April 12, at Clear Creek Missionary Baptist Church. Earlier this year, the choir was nominated for Sound Awards in Dallas, and choir representatives will attend the event this week.
Faculty adviser for the choir Fred Tidwell has a long history of involvement in the church, preaching his first sermon at the same pulpit as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as a teenager in Grenada, Miss. Tidwell emphasized the importance of the choir’s continuation in the UM Community.
“I believe this choir must continue their service because this is a safe space for our students to freely express and exercise their faith,” Tidwell said. “We’ve worked extremely hard to create an environment where students feel the love of Christ and can freely give that love back across campus. This is more than just an organization. This is a ministry and a family.”
