The annual performance of the Washington Performing Arts Society’s Gospel Mass Choir in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall has become one of Washington’s favorite events. This year the ensemble is conducted by Stanley J. Thurston, the newly appointed artistic director, whose expertise as pianist, composer and arranger has long enhanced area concert halls.
“This will be the largest choir ever with 120 members of the Children’s Choir joining the Men’s Choir and the Women’s Choir, a total of 270 singers,” Thurston says. “The Women’s Choir, the longest running of the three groups, began 15 years ago. Some of the original members are still singing and happy to be a part of the concert.
“Everyone in the Gospel Mass Choir is there because they all love music. Their body language reflects the rhythm and their joy. When we’re rehearsing a piece, they internalize the tricky sections so that the notes and the moves come out exactly right at the concert. Because it’s such a big group, we alternate rehearsals between several large churches in the District, P.G. County and Virginia to balance out the distance members have to travel.”
In addition to its own WPAS Gospel Band, the choir will be backed by a 47-piece orchestra, its members gathered from area symphonies. This pairing of outstanding instrumentalists with the magnificent voices is ideal for Thurston, whose shining reputation for preparing dozens of choruses includes appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Prince Georges Philharmonic and many other orchestras throughout the country. His European opera debut conducting Verdi’s “La Traviata” with Romania’s Opera Constanta was followed with a return in 2004 to conduct Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.”
“I’ve worked in just about every venue in the Baltimore-Washington area,” he says. “Church architecture caters to the sound of an a cappella choir, but the Kennedy Center Concert hall is ideal for a large production of this nature. We’re all so excited about the concert. It’s always rewarding to start months ahead and gradually see it all come together. My job is to encourage the singers along the way and act like a traffic cop. At the last minute, when they look out and see a full house, everyone is so confident that they put forth an extra spark. It’s like preparing a special meal at home for guests and knowing they will enjoy it.”
Like many professional musicians who begin their studies with the piano, Thurston credits his high school choir director with inspiring him to study conducting. At Morgan State University, the late Dr. Nathan Carter encouraged him to continue focusing on that goal. His decision to follow their advice has benefited countless singers and audiences alike.
“Now when I advise youngsters interested in a career in music, I tell them to go with what they love to do,” he says. “They must learn all they can about music theory, play as many instruments as possible and practice regularly.
IF YOU GO:
Stanley J. Thurston conducts the WPAS Men, Women, and Children of the Gospel Mass Choir, Sunday 21 at 4 p.m.
» Venue: Kennedy Center Concert Hall
» Tickets: $30-$55 at (202) 785-WPAS or visit wpas.org
