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GOSPEL: WHERE SONG AND SERMON MEET
February 16 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
60 min (approx.)
From the blues to hip hop, African Americans have been the driving force of sonic innovation for over a century. Musical styles come and go, but there’s one sound that has been a constant source of strength, courage, and wisdom from the pulpit to the choir lofts on any given Sunday.
GOSPEL, the latest history series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., digs deep into the origin story of Black spirituality through sermon and song.
Explore the history of Black gospel music, coming out of slavery, blending with the blues tradition, and soaring to new heights during the Great Migration. From Mahalia to Kirk Franklin, in the last century, gospel music has become the dominant form of African American religious expression and provided a soundtrack of healing and uplift to those at the front lines of protest and change.
Described as limited-release, high-quality titles that have captured the imagination of movie lovers, the Virginia Theatre’s Arthouse Experience Film Series is programmed by special guest curator Sanford Hess.
The movies that Mr. Hess selects—a mix of award-winners, Ebertfest favorites, and recent classics—are presented one Friday each month on the Virginia’s 52-foot wide movie screen, with state-of-the-art surround sound.
Each film will be followed by a post-show discussion and in some cases an on-stage talk by directors, producers, and other special guests. Presented by Illinois Public Media, home of WILL-TV, WILL-AM, and WILL-FM.