Donald Lawrence to Revive the Edwin Hawkins Music & Arts Seminar as “Music + Arts Global”

April 27-29, 2023, at Gaumont State Theatre in London, England

From a press release:

Choir music is as popular as ever. The world watched on television as London’s Kingdom Choir sang at Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s royal wedding. South Africa’s award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir has performed on the Academy Awards. The USA’s Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir lifted their voices during Barack Obama’s second inauguration ceremony. Today, choir music is not only sung in churches around the world. It’s featured in TV commercials and films, sampled by pop artists, and played in dance clubs on six continents.

It’s against this backdrop that GRAMMY® Award winning choirmaster Donald Lawrence is reviving his mentor, the legendary late Edwin Hawkins’ annual Music & Arts Seminar that was birthed in 1979 and reimagining it for the 21st century as a bi-annual conference, Music + Arts Global.

“I want to see young people really benefit from the art…,” Hawkins said of the Music & Arts Seminar in a 1987 interview with Totally Gospel Magazine. “I don’t want it to be just another social affair.…I’d like to eventually take the convention out of the states…just to keep it fresh.”

While that hope didn’t materialize during Hawkins’ lifetime, it’s happening April 27-29, 2023, when Lawrence will present the newly renamed conference Music + Arts Global at the Gaumont State Theatre (197-99 High Road NW6 7HY) in the Kilburn district of London, England.

“Choir music is everywhere, and music is a universal language,” Lawrence says. “A lot of people in the Baltic states can really sing well. I’ve visited many countries and worked with their choirs. I conducted a 500-voice choir at Duomo Cathedral in Florence, Italy, with 30,000 people in attendance. A lot of the leaders in different cities asked for me to come and teach their choirs. Instead of me going to all of them, I said why don’t we all meet in London for this first year and then I’ll come to you the next year. So, we’ve got choirs coming from Sweden, Latvia, Denmark, and so many other places.” Bazil Meade MBE (the pioneering founder of the 40+ year old London Community Gospel Choir that’s given royal command performances and performed with a who’s who in music) and Ayce Oyerinde, are handling on the ground promotions for Music + Arts Global through their London-based firm, GloFest International.

Lawrence’s plan is to expand upon the rich legacy of the Music & Arts Seminar. Each day there will be educational courses on topics such as vocal blending; incorporating spoken word, dance, and theater into a choir’s stage presentation; and how to dress a choir and create its fashion imprint. Audio Sound Designer Armando Fullwood will join 7x GRAMMY® Award winning engineer Danny Duncan (who’s worked with everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Israel Houghton) to introduce VenueFlex/ChoirFlex, a new technology that enhances audio clarity for an immersive acoustic listening experience. On Friday night, Volney Morgan of the MOBO Award winning gospel group Volney Morgan & New-Ye, will host a showcase of dynamic choirs from throughout the European continent and the United Kingdom.

There will also be guest appearances by music veterans such as Anthony Brown (of Anthony Brown & group therAPy), William Murphy, Ted Winn, Vincent Bohanan, Rodney Posey, and Derrick Starks. Songwriter Jeffrey LaValley will not only share his musical knowledge with attendees, but he will also tell the story behind his song “Revelations 19:1.” It was originally recorded by the New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir in 1985. Over the years, the song has become a staple in church worship services. However, it became a TikTok and viral hit after the Sunday Service Choir recorded it and made it popular with a new generation of fans in 2022.

Music + Arts Global concludes with a big Saturday night concert. An international mass choir will pay tribute to singer LaShun Pace and to the Hawkins Family’s longtime bassist, Joel Smith, who both passed away in recent years. The choir will perform songs from the vast musical catalogues of Donald Lawrence, the Music & Arts Seminar, The Hawkins Family, and the guest choirmasters.

GRAMMY® Award winning producer Cedric Thompson will serve as Music Director alongside Edwin Hawkins’ longtime Music Director, Derrick Hall. The sterling band will also include The Isley Brothers’ drummer, Calvin Rogers. Singer DeWayne Woods of “Let Go, Let God” fame will be on hand as Lawrence’s Assistant Vocal Director.