Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass

Gospel Mass by Robert Ray

 

 

Saturday, May 18 at 5:00pm

Sunday, May 19 at 9:00 and 10:30am

 

Forty years ago, Robert Ray sat down to write the Gospel Mass as an experimental work for a one-time performance – to his surprise, the piece caught on and has now become a seminal work of African-American music, performed by choirs and churches all over the world.  Join us in worship May 18 @ 5pm and May 19 @ 9 & 10:30am as the Mount Calvary Chancel Choir along with soloists, Al Jordan and Tracy Stefan present the mass in its entirety – accompanied by Aaron Kohrs (piano), Jeremy Haug (keyboard), Mike Stefan (drums), and Nick Salisbury (bass). You won’t want to miss this powerful, joy-filled work that is sure to ignite the spirit!

 

SOLOIST BIOGRAPHIES:

 

Tracy Stefan has enjoyed singing all of her life. She has a Bachelor of Science in vocal and classroom music education and spent most of the 1990s singing in rock/dance bands. She started as a worship leader in 2001 at a church in North St. Paul and currently sings in the Mount Calvary Saturday worship band. She lives in Excelsior with her drummer husband Mike and enjoys spending time with their four children and four grandchildren.

 

Over the last two decades Albert Jordan has remained an active musician, clinician, and judge in the Twin Cities and nationally, most recently he has performed as soloist for the Robert Ray Gospel Mass at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Anton Armstrong. As a founding member of Cantus, Albert spent a decade as a performer and educator with the ensemble. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College where he sang and soloed with the St. Olaf Choir. Albert is also a former section leader at Mount Calvary. He has had stints with other local ensembles such as Magnum Chorum and Vocal Essence as well.