Gospel go to Deloitte
Business and singing collide...
What do a university gospel choir and Deloitte, one of the four major professional services companies, have in common? Possibly morethan you might think...
In October, six members of Imperial College Gospel Choir (ICGC) made their way to Deloitte HQ, located in the heart of the City, to perform at their annual Black History Month event, which brings together professionals from various companies to highlight pertinent issues, celebrate success and promote progression.
The city workers were urged to stand to their feet by ICGC music director, Glory Lai, to take part in a little ‘praise and worship,’ in stark contrast to their usual daily activities. The performance was well received, with professionals breaking from their corporate ways, singing and clapping along to the music. Despite being few in number, ICGC brought some colour to the monochrome of the square mile and as the final act of the evening, closed proceedings in classic ICGC style. In return for our performance, we were offered free canapés and drinks, and being typical students, these were gratefully received. One corporate manager seemed particularly touched by the performance saying she was thankful that ICGC had brought some ‘spirituality’ into the City.
ICGC are well accustomed to performing at other Imperial society shows such as Afrogala and Mega Maalai, however this event was the first of its kind in ICGC history. It was an interesting and enjoyable experience, allowing ICGC to branch out beyond the South Kensington campus. Current ICGC President, Daniella Osaghae, said after the event, “I’m really proud of the positive feedback we received and we hope to do more events like this in the future”.
Since ICGC made its debut at University Gospel Choir of the Year (UGCY) in 2011, and a subsequent appearance in 2012, there have been many exciting opportunities. ICGC graced the Wembley Arena stage with Little Mix and Marcus in front of 10,000 screaming fans on The X Factor Final 2011, and more recently took part in a world record attempt in conjunction with UGCY, at Westfield Stratford. Since its humble beginnings seven years ago, ICGC has grown in strength, numbers and profile. However, ICGC wouldn’t exist without its dedicated members, giving up their Monday evenings to rehearse and the Imperial College Gospel Band, who work tirelessly to bring everything together for our Easter and Christmas shows.
As it is coming up to that time of year again, ICGC will be performing at their annual Christmas concert, Good Tidings of Great Joy, at Holy Trinity Churchon Prince Consort Road on December 4th at 7pm. Tickets are available through the Union Website.
