Presented by Northern Roots, the Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University, Washington, D.C., and Newcastle’s very own Voices of Virtue Choir come together for a special performance marking Black History Month – which is now taking place in the USA.

This extraordinary event is part of the annual ‘Let Freedom Sing’ concert which usually coincides with Martin Luther King Day but has been delayed this year due to coronavirus. 

The concert brings the music of the civil rights movement to people across the world and Saturday 27 February, the official UK Premiere will see the entire ‘Let Freedom Sing’ concert streamed on YouTube. It features a guest performance by Newcastle’s own gospel choir, Voices of Virtue.

Voices of Virtue who have performed with Sting not once, but twice, are looking forward to the streaming of the performance. The co-founder, Matti Imarhiagbe says it will be a “soul stirring evening that will inspire, uplift and honour through song.”

It’s not the first time the two choirs have performed together, in 2018 when the Howard Gospel Choir visited Newcastle as part of Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy event, they collaborated with Voices of Virtue to deliver an uplifting performance of Stevie Wonder's ‘Heaven Help Us All’. ‘Let Freedom Sing’ will feature that very performance.

“The relationship between Howard and Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir is one of the enduring legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King’s visit to Newcastle,” commented MP for Newcastle Central Chi Onwurah, “‘Let Freedom Sing’ promises to be an unmissable celebration of the songs of the civil rights movement. It will also showcase the talents of Newcastle’s very own gospel choir Voices of Virtue to audiences around the world.”

The concert is supported by Northern Roots and the United States Embassy in London. It marks a start of an exciting collaboration between Howard Gospel Choir and Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir which will bring the music of the civil rights movement to ever greater audiences.