Alumni Gospel Choir

Swarthmore College Alumni Gospel Choir during a performance

Department Overview

Someone once told me that we humans created music out of a need to talk to God. This theory made sense because I knew music had the power to speak in ways that words alone could not. Not only could it touch the listener, it transformed the troubadour as well. Anyone who has ever hummed a tune on a sunny day or been in ear shot of an enthusiastic whistler has experienced this power in action.

Music. What a perfect medium for a chat with the Master! It is a transforming medium custom for the ultimate transforming experience! King David was definitely on to something.

Millennia later, at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, a group of African American students discovered their need to "talk to God" and formed a choir. And although these students graduated from Swarthmore, a remarkable thing happened. They took the choir with them. If you asked any member of the Swarthmore Alumni Gospel Choir why this happened, he or she might tell you that this is a conversation with God that is still going on. In fact, it's just getting started.

Carolyn Mitchell '74

Members of the choir hold hands

Members of the Alumni Gospel Choir gather in prayer on the steps of the Friends Meeting House before their 40th anniversary concert.

Members of the Alumni Gospel Choir gather in prayer on the steps of the Friends Meeting House before their 40th anniversary concert.

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