Artist description This second release for the Choir is a holiday collection of original Gospel songs that will uplift everyone. Proceeds from the Choir's efforts go towards scholarship awards for African-American students attending Swarthmore College near Philadelphia.

Music Style Gospel

Artist History Swarthmore College, established in 1864, is the oldest co-educational Quaker institution in the United States. The College is located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, approximately fifteen miles southwest of Philadelphia. A small campus of 1300 students, Swarthmore is widely recognized for its Honors Program and intensive course study. The College traditionally ranks first in US News and World Report’s annual survey of college in the United States. In 1986, a group of alumni of Swarthmore College and of the College’s Gospel Choir returned to Swarthmore to participate in a reunion concert. That event marked the birth of the Swarthmore College Alumni Gospel Choir. The Swarthmore College Gospel Choir, of which the Alumni Choir is an out growth, began in 1971. The original group of twelve students founded the Choir to provide a spiritual and cultural means of expression for African-American students on campus. The Choir grew in size and prominence, performing in concerts on campus and in Philadelphia area churches. In addition, the Choir toured Washington, DC; Baltimore, Maryland; Detroit, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands as the featured choir. Several talented musicians worked with Choir. One of them, Vaneese Thomas ‘74, served the Choir for eight years as the Director, accompanist, instructor and “soul” of the Choir. Years later, she served in this capacity for the Alumni Choir. Ms. Thomas has been the heart and soul of the Alumni Choir for the 14 years since its creation in 1986. Ms. Thomas is the only professional musician in the Alumni Choir. Born in Memphis TN, Vaneese Thomas ‘74 is the amalgam of a myriad of musical influences. Blues and Jazz were standard fare in her household. Her father is R&B legend Rufus Thomas, her sister, singer Carla Thomas and her brother, keyboardist and arranger Marvell Thomas. This musical background solidly prepared her for the seemingly impossible task of teaching Alumni Swarthmoreans, drawn from many professional careers in medicine, law, engineering, finance, education, interior designing, insurance and management to sing our beloved gospel music. We thank Vaneese and are fortunate to have her unqualified commitment to the Alumni Choir’s music ministry. The other members of the Alumni Choir share Vaneese’s strong spiritual commitment. She has also shared her talent as a minister of music with several churches. In fact, many of the songs on our two CDs were written by Vaneese, a phenomenal talent. Others have also benefited from her talent. Vaneese has succeeded in various musical ventures. She has recorded with artists such as Eric Clapton, Luther Vandross, her cousin, Kirk Whalum and Jonathan Butler. Vaneese has been a solo artist for Geffen Records and has performed on various television shows both in the U.S. and abroad. She can be heard daily on radio and television commercials and is a noted studio musician in New York. Other musicians have also contributed. Kirk Whalum, Rob Mathes and Bob Baldwin, all accomplished musicians and celebrated professionals in their own rite, made significant contributions to our first CD Project “Hallelujah! Amen” and our latest CD Project “Star Gazer”, a celebration of the life and birth of Jesus Christ. Among other accompanists were Carol Anton, a prolific writer who wrote Song of the Year at the Gospel Music Workshop convention in the early nineties and the late Reverend Ernest Davis, Jr., founder and Director of the Wilmington-Chester Mass Choir. In addition to its inaugural concert in 1986, the Alumni Choir performed at Swarthmore in 1989 as part of the festivities for Black Alumni Weekend. In March of 1991, the Alumni Choir performed in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the College Gospel Choir. The Alumni Choir performed for all the alumni at the June 1994 Collection.

Albums Star Gazer

Location Swarthmore, PA - USA

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