Crystal Banks
Staff Writer
cbanks@valdosta.edu

The semester is coming to an end, and, of course that means stress, papers and tests for the average college student. Not to mention the endless lines at the printer in the library. If you’re like most college students, you’re probably looking for an escape from all the woes of college life. Or even better, a little inspiration.

VSU’s Mass Choir will be providing the perfect remedy for the over-stressed student, the music lover, or anyone seeking good clean fun. Tomorrow the choir will hold its S.P.R.I.N.G (Shifting Praise Radically Into a New Gear) concert at the Valdosta High School Performing Arts Center. The concert is entitled “Takin’ It Back,” and it will begin at 7 p.m.

While the concert will be a mixture of both new generation and old school gospel, the choir definitely wants to remember gospel from the past in this year’s event.

“We named the concert “Takin’ It Back” to pay homage to the founding artists of gospel,” Renisha Epps, VSU Mass Choir president, said.

The spring concert is also a way to celebrate the choir’s success as a student organization for over 10 years. The VSU Mass Choir, once known as Children of the King, the Rose Ensemble, and the Valdosta
State College Gospel Choir, was established with the help of the choir’s first president, Thamika Miller, and Jim Black, vice president for Finance and Administration.

Under the direction of A.C. Braswell, minister of music, the VSU Mass Choir has participated in various events both on and off campus.

In September 2007, the choir attended a collegiate choir conference at Georgia State University in Atlanta.. More recently, the choir participated in the Martin Luther King Day celebration hosted by the Equal Opportunities Office and the Black Student League’s GospelFest.

The choir plans to continue adding to its long list of performances with this Friday’s concert.

“The audience can expect to experience a few collegiate choirs coming together to fellowship and celebrate over 10 years of the VSU Mass Choir being a student organization,” Epps said.

Admission to the concert is free. Door prizes and free food will be available. The Valdosta High School Performing Arts Center is at 3101 N. Forrest St.