
click to enlarge
The Gospel Gators of San Francisco State University
May 26, 2013
Sunday, May 26
- 7pm & 9pm
- $20 advance, $25 door
The SF State Gospel Choir was founded by current choir director Ja Ronn Thompson in the Spring of 2004. At that time he didn’t expect anyone to take him seriously. He was only a freshman and not even a music major. But he was determined to bring gospel music to our campus. When he expressed interest in starting the choir, music professor Dr. Dee Spencer told him to “Make it happen.” Therefore, Ja Ronn toured the campus handing out fliers and encouraging people to try out. There were seven members at their first rehearsal, singing without sheet music or a band to accompany them from one musical transition to the next. They also didn’t have a regular practice room, so they used various classrooms and sometimes hallways in order to perfect their songs. The San Francisco State gospel choir, a student-run group, became a one-unit music course in its second semester. Now in it’s 15th semester, the group is comprised of 90 singers and seven musicians of different backgrounds and majors; there is plenty of diversity in this group. Having grown exponentially over the past seven years, their big sound has only gotten better.



