Gospel FestIval Fall 2014

Our clinician, Dr. Raymond Wise

The 2014 Gospel Festival was such a success this year! Even though it came earlier in the school year than in the past, the praise and joy of Gospel music was still as vibrant as ever. This year, I had the opportunity to do a little more “behind the scenes” work because of the work I did on the program. It was so interesting getting to know professors that I hadn’t really had the opportunity to work with before and see how they run different events. I also had the chance to work closer with Rebecca Saltzman, our lovely president, since she was a student assistant to the entire festival. Seeing her lead the different groups of students to where they needed to go as well as handle all sorts of problems with ease was very informative and inspiring to watch.

The overall weekend of Gospel Fest was a rewarding experience. I spent basically 48 hours engulfed in brilliant musicians shining in their craft as well as students from around the area bringing their talent to the table. The Friday night of the weekend event was spent in rehearsals where different conductors shared their knowledge with the students. Dr. Raymond Wise was especially interesting to watch because of his passion for Gospel music and his knowledge through the experiences he’s had throughout his life. All of their hard work was clearly evident on the following day. The rehearsals and concert were spectacular! A great ACDA moment was the fact that every single t-shirt was sold which was a first since I’ve been here at Ithaca College! Woo! I had a great time at Gospel Fest 2014 and I definitely got my praise on!  

IC ACDA Special Events Coordinator
Caitlin Walton

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