Singing in the holidays, the Jireh and Montreal Gospel choir are set to perform

Music filled the air at Église de Dieu La Source on Tuesday evening, where performers rehearsed for three upcoming concerts, titled “Noël Gospel,” on December 9th and 10th.

The show will feature 100 performers from the renowned Jireh Gospel Choir and the Montreal Gospel Choir. The musicians along with show director, Carol Bernard, will take the stage for 90 minutes in the Salle Pierre-Mercure of the Center Pierre-Péladeau.

“It’s so exciting because we have two choirs. We have Jireh, which is like fewer singers than MGC, which is 80 singers,” said Paul Charles, Band Leader.

“The repertoire switches from season to season all the time. So we just have to get the band ready. And for this one, it’s really exciting because we’re getting our whole brass section, whole section playing with us.”

With songs spanning an array of styles including Authentic Gospel, Black American Gospel, and hip-hop, with Christmas classics, as well as original compositions in French and English, the choir says there is something for all.

“I’m the type that really gets the audience involved. So we’re going to get them to sing and them to dance. One of my friends said to me once, he doesn’t know why he bought a seat, because he was up dancing the whole time,” said Bernard.

“My parents came from Jamaica and there really wasn’t a question of doing music when I was thinking about when I was going to study at university. So I did mathematics and computer science. So I had a big career, made money, and at one point, just I remember calling my husband and saying, how do you think if I do music full time?”

The famous Jireh Gospel Choir, which is composed of 15 members from the Afro-Montreal community, and the Montreal Gospel Choir, composed of 85 singers of African, Asian, Caribbean, European, and Latin American descent, is expected to offer an extraordinary prelude to the holiday season.

For Charles, the aim is to leave Montrealers with a little hope and season cheer.

“Especially in a season like Christmas. I believe that the message of hope, the message of healing, the message of grace and the message of nativity.. It’s so important for the people to bring so much joy,” said Charles.

The Noël Gospel show tickets are available on the Montreal Gospel website.