The Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational is rooted in something deeper than just competition. It emerges from a long tradition of gospel music as a communal language in South Florida, one that binds churches, schools, families, and generations.<\/p>\n
For the Adrienne Arsht Center, the event extends a gospel programming that began with 15 years of Free Gospel Sundays, evolving into a broader vision.<\/p>\n
Jenita Nakamura, senior director of education and community engagement at the Adrienne Arsht Center, says that the move to creating an invitational competition was a way to \u201creimagine our gospel programming\u201d while continuing to work with gospel groups.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Feb. 14, the Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational returns for its second edition to Knight Concert Hall, bringing together five choirs from across South Florida.<\/p>\n
The winners of the 2025 Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational, Gamaliel Fleurantin & Community Sounds, with Arsht President and CEO Johann Zietsman, right. EHBk (Photo by Taylor Brown, courtesy of Adrienne Arsht Center) <\/p>\n
The event will feature the Florida A&M University Gospel Choir, Florida Memorial University Ambassador Chorale, Holy Cross Lutheran Praise Choir, Mt. Pisgah Mass Choir, and Renewed Choir. Audience members help choose which choir wins a $5,000 cash prize. The winning choir also gets to perform in June at the Arsht\u2019s Gospel Fest Miami.<\/p>\n
What began as a local initiative has drawn interest from beyond Miami-Dade County, signaling the reach of gospel as both music and movement. \u201cEnthusiasm about the Invitational has grown since the first year,\u201d according to Nakamura. \u201cNot only are people in our local community excited about it, but we have also received submissions from choirs further away that want to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n
In South Florida, gospel music has long served as a gathering point. It carries memory, faith, and resilience across decades. The Invitational sits alongside other Arsht initiatives, including \u201cGospel On The Road\u201d pop-up concerts and Gospel Fest Miami Weekend, offering multiple points of connection throughout the year.<\/p>\n
The youngest voices of the event will come from the Holy Cross Lutheran Praise Choir, made up of students in grades three through eight. (Photo courtesy of the artists)<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s lineup reflects that breadth. Two university choirs perform alongside three church and school-based ensembles, creating an intentionally intergenerational stage. According to Nakamura, in the invitational\u2019s grand finale all of the choirs in competition come together. \u201cSo we\u2019ll see children as young as 10 share the stage with the elders in our community,\u201d says Nakamura.<\/p>\n
For the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Gospel Choir based in Tallahassee, the stage represents both opportunity and responsibility. Tahj Merriex, the choir\u2019s president and a graduating senior, describes participation as an act of representation. \u201cFor our students, it is both an artistic milestone and a duty to serve as ambassadors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Preparation, he explains, was intentional rather than performative. Under the direction of Malachi Gibbs, the choir selected music that honors traditional gospel while allowing room for musical range and innovation.<\/p>\n
At Miami Gardens\u2019 Florida Memorial University, the Ambassador Chorale approaches the Invitational with a similar sense of purpose. Directed by Argarita Johnson-Palavicini, D.M.A., the ensemble serves as the university\u2019s premier vocal group and the Arsht stage offers a rare moment of visibility. \u201cAs a small, private HBCU, chances like this let us be seen and heard on a larger stage,\u201d says Palavicini. \u201cIt gives us the chance to share not just our sound, but our story.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Florida Memorial University Ambassador Chorale\u2019s sound blends Black and Hispanic gospel traditions, reflecting the heritages of its singers. (Photo courtesy of the artists) <\/p>\n
She described the chorale\u2019s preparation as both spiritual and musical. \u201cOur choir has prepared for this invitational first through prayer and guidance from the Holy Spirit,\u201d she says. The group\u2019s sound blends Black and Hispanic gospel traditions, reflecting the backgrounds of its singers.<\/p>\n
Church-based choirs bring yet another dimension to the competition. The Mt. Pisgah Mass Choir, formed in 2024 at Mt. Pisgah Seventh-day Adventist Church in Miami Gardens, includes singers ranging in age from 10 to over 70. \u201cThe Mt. Pisgah Mass Choir bridges a gap of over 60 years,\u201d says Nathan Drew, the choir\u2019s minister of music and head director. \u201cOur choir ministry shows how people from different backgrounds can unite in ministry to one great God.\u201d<\/p>\n
The youngest voices of the event will come from the Holy Cross Lutheran Praise Choir, made up of students in grades three through eight. (Photo courtesy of the artists) <\/p>\n
The youngest voices of the evening will come from Miami\u2019s Holy Cross Lutheran Praise Choir, made up of students in grades three through eight. \u201cParticipating in the Gospel Choir Invitational at the Adrienne Arsht Center is an incredible honor,\u201d choir director Matthew Harden says. \u201cIt is a chance to represent our faith, our school, and our community on a larger stage and show what young people can do when they sing with purpose and heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harden said the choir approaches the event with a ministry-first mindset. \u201cWe remind our students that we are there to worship first,\u201d he says. \u201cThe judging is secondary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renewed Choir, based at Abundant Live Christian Academy in Margate, is made up of high school students. Director Shivonne Pinder said the ensemble was formed as the program expanded to distinguish older singers from the middle school choir.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be their first competition outside of those walls,\u201d says Pinder. \u201cIt\u2019s encouraging, it\u2019s empowering, a little overwhelming, but a good challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pinder described the choir\u2019s sound as modern gospel with influences from contemporary Christian music and Caribbean traditions. \u201cGospel CCM meets youth,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s the best way for me to describe it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Returning this year as a guest judge is Gamaliel Fleurantin, director of Community Sounds, last year\u2019s winning choir. (Photo courtesy of artist management) <\/p>\n
Returning this year as a guest judge is Gamaliel Fleurantin, director of Community Sounds, last year\u2019s winning choir. He remembers the announcement vividly. \u201cWhen our name was finally announced as the first-place winner, the emotion was overwhelming,\u201d recalls Fleurantin. \u201cIt was joy, humility, gratitude, and affirmation all at once. That moment wasn\u2019t just a win, it was a testimony.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since that victory, Community Sounds has expanded its reach, performing original music, collaborating with churches such as VOUS, and working toward its first official single. Fleurantin says the invitational reinforced lessons about preparation and purpose. \u201cTechnique matters, but transformation matters more,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Although one choir will be crowned the winner, Fleurantin says the competition is about more than technical polish. \u201cAuthenticity is essential,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a gospel competition, and I expect performances that unmistakably reflect the genre \u2014 powerful vocals, commanding stage presence, and a clear \u2018wow\u2019 factor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mt. Pisgah Mass Choir, formed in 2024 at Mt. Pisgah Seventh-day Adventist Church in Miami Gardens, includes singers ranging in age from 10 to over 70. (Photo courtesy of the artists.) <\/p>\n
Audience participation remains a defining feature too, and voting reinforces the idea that the evening belongs as much to the community as to the performers. For Nakamura, that shared energy is the point. \u201cCommunity engagement is central to our work, and an event like this strengthens our relationships with local faith, academic, and community organizations,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
The Invitational is part of a larger gospel initiative that reaches beyond the Arsht Center. From February to April, the Arsht will also present Gospel On The Road, a series of free pop-up performances aimed at bringing gospel music to neighborhoods throughout Miami-Dade County.<\/p>\n
The series kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. at Loren Roberts Park in Florida City. There will be another performance on Sunday, March 29 at 5 p.m. at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex in Miami Gardens.<\/p>\n
The Mt. Pisgah Mass Choir, formed in 2024 at Mt. Pisgah Seventh-day Adventist Church in Miami Gardens, includes singers ranging in age from 10 to over 70. (Photo courtesy of the artists.) <\/p>\n
The final event is set for Sunday, April 19 at 5 p.m. at Domino Park in Miami\u2019s Little Havana neighborhood. Each performance showcases local gospel artists and is open to the public. The series of events will conclude with the Gospel Fest Miami Weekend on Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21.<\/p>\n
As a former winner and now a judge, Fleurantin advises that the invitational ultimately asks choirs to think beyond results. \u201cCome prepared to compete, because this is a competition,\u201d he says. \u201cBut remain humble throughout the process. Work relentlessly and be strategic.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you go:<\/p>\n
WHAT: Second Annual Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational WHERE: Adrienne Arsht Center\u2019s Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami WHEN: 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 14 COST: Tickets are free with RSVP, however guests are invited to contribute the suggested ticket price of $20 (or more) to help sustain live arts experiences for the people of Miami. INFORMATION: (305) 949-6722 or arshtcenter.org<\/p>\n
ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music, and more. Don\u2019t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational is rooted in something deeper than just competition. It emerges from a long…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151893,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":{"0":"post-151892","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hialeah","8":"tag-hialeah","9":"tag-hialeah-headlines","10":"tag-hialeah-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}