For Vice President for Inclusion Ernest Jeffries and Virginia Sacotingo ‘25, reviving Lafayette College’s Gospel Choir is an opportunity to foster more harmony on campus.
“I’ve always moved forward with feeling that music is a universal language,” said Jeffries, the group’s music director. “It is one place that people can come together without any particularities.”
“We’re here for a common interest — music — and to share a new vibe with campus,” Sacotingo said.
The sound will be “groovy, rhythmic, beat-clappy,” according to Sacotingo.
The group had its first rehearsal last month. Jeffries said that about one new member joins the group per week and that there is a current focus to “establish a core group.”
“We hope that when then people experience it, experience the group, then we will have some more interest generated,” he said.
As an interfaith group, the gospel choir is open to anyone interested.
“When you think about the impact of gospel music, I think it’s powerful, it’s inspirational,” Jeffries said. “Even if you are not a person of a particular faith or faith at all, some of those words can be uplifting.”
You do not even need to be able to sing to join.
“We’ll teach you how to do that,” he said. “All we need are people willing to learn.”
Jeffries studied music in college and has been involved in gospel music since he was 10 years old.
“This is one way for me that I can lend my talents to the community,” he said.
“It gives the community an opportunity to see us outside of our roles and see that we are for people just like everybody else — people that enjoy students and enjoy the campus life,” Jeffries continued.
Jeffries hopes to engage with the Lehigh Valley community. In the future, he would like to see the gospel choir touring. With past groups, his groups have visited the students’ hometown schools and churches to perform.
“For some of our members, that was a full circle moment,” Jeffries said.
A sneak peek can be found on the group’s Instagram: @LafayetteGospelChoir.
“It’s just the place where people could meet without all this other stuff,” Jeffries said. “Starts with being about the music and then other things grow out from that.”
Anoosh Ahsan ’28 contributed reporting.
