PORTRAIT : The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, & Singers

HISTOIRE DU BROOKLYN TABERNACLE CHOIR :

             

Quand le Pasteur Jim Cymbala et sa femme Carol arrivèrent à New York au Brooklyn Tabernacle en 1972, l'église (fondée par feu le Rév. Clair Hutchins, père de Carol) regroupait 15-20 fidèles.
En prolongement du ministère de son mari à l'église, Carol démarra un choeur environ un plus tard (1973) avec 8-9 choristes.

             

Bilan en 2008 : Au bout de 35 ans, le choeur qu'elle dirige était fort de 240 voix, et 6 000 personnes y suivaient le culte chaque semaine.
Au niveau de ses enregistrements, le Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir avait vendu 3 millions d'albums.
«Live ... We come rejoicing» sous Warner Alliance, et «God is working» sous Sony, sont parmi leurs enregistrements live des années 90 les plus vibrants.

Ce choeur de gospel est l'un des plus respectés en Amérique. Comme l'église dont il est issu, il est constitué d'un mélange d'origines ethniques et économiques (juristes, médecins, professeurs, portiers, serveurs, prostituées, ex-toxicomanes au crack ...) sujets de toutes sortes de péchés, et certains issus de milieux non religieux, qui travaillent de longues heures et élèvent leurs enfants.
Bien qu'elle ne sache ni lire, ni écrire la musique, Carol a reçu un don particulier en cadeau pour diriger et créer avec son coeur, par la puissance de l'Esprit Saint. "Je veux juste voir des gens attirés par Jésus-Christ", dit-elle. "Je veux que la musique soit la flèche qui les conduit vers Lui."
Et, bien que la majorité des choristes n'ait aucune formation musicale, ils sont passionnés, et jouent un rôle dans la présentation de l'amour de Dieu dans le monde entier par le biais de spectacles et de nombreux enregistrements audio et vidéo. Ils ne chantent pas la théorie, mais la réalité tirée de leur vécu, d'une manière sincère et presque vulnérable.
Au fil des ans, la chorale s'est produite dans de grandes salles comme le Carnegie Hall, le Radio City Music Hall, et un spectacle à guichet fermé au Madison Square Garden. Elle a également accompagné des artistes majeurs du gospel comme CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith, et Larnelle Harris.
Fin 2009, «Declare your name» est le 28ème album d'un répertoire étonnant débuté en 1981 avec «Giving Him thanks» par ce choeur d'environ 400 voix qui a vendu plus de 4 millions d'albums et gagné de nombreuses récompenses : "Grammy Awards" (6), "Dove Awards" (9), et "#1 Billboard charting CDs" (2).

             

La logistique est trop lourde pour faire voyager toute la chorale, si ce n'est que pour quelques ministères chaque année. C'est pourquoi, seule une petite partie des chanteurs (environ 30) voyage fréquemment vers des destinations nationales et internationales (Corée, Japon ...) sous le nom de The Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers ,en interprétant toute la musique de la chorale.

  Sources :  

     When pastor Jim Cymbala and his wife Carol came to the Brooklyn Tabernacle in 1972, the church consisted of 15-20 people. Carol started a choir about a year later with nine people. Today, the choir has 240 voices and 6,000 people worship there every week. As a recording group, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has sold three million albums and has won several Grammy and Dove Awards. Warner Alliance's "Live...We Come Rejoicing" and Sony's "God Is Working -- Live" are among their most vibrant live recordings from the '90s.                                                                                                                                                                                  ~ John Bush, All Music Guide (Copyright © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC).

     Originally founded in 1973 with eight members, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir is one of the most respected choirs in America. The Grammy-winning, 300-voice Gospel choir was born out of the historic Brooklyn Tabernacle in downtown Brooklyn, NY. The Choir, like the church, is a blend of ethnic and economic backgrounds. The ensemble is comprised of passionate and often musically-untrained church members ranging from lawyers and doctors to ex-crack addicts.
The Choir was founded by, and is directed by Carol Cymbala, wife of Senior Pastor Jim Cymbala and daughter of the church founder, the late Rev. Clair Hutchins. Although she cannot read or write music, Carol has been blessed with a special gift to direct and create from the heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. “I just want to see people drawn to Jesus Christ,” she says. “I want the music to be the arrow that points them to Him.”
And, although the majority of the choir members have no formal vocal training, they have been instrumental in presenting the love of God all over the world through live performances and through numerous audio and video recordings.
Says Pastor Cymbala, “The choir represents all different walks of life and every kind of sin. You name it and we have someone who has been saved out of it, standing next to another one who has grown up in the church.”
“None of us would have met if it weren’t for Christ,” he continues. “Our backgrounds are just too diverse. But all of us have one thing in common: we have all been lifted up and saved. So the Choir sings—not about a theological position—but about what has happened to them. It’s not a theory; it’s a reality.”
Starting each practice with a prayer session reinforces that principle. Even the rehearsals prior to Sunday services are all closed in prayer as the choir asks God to bless their music and anoint their songs for the service. “…I find that the choir greatly facilitates the ministry that goes on here,” says Pastor Cymbala. In their own uniquely sincere and almost vulnerable way, some by not being trained singers, while others are coming from totally non-religious backgrounds, they are able to display an openness, a transparent ‘heartfeltness’ that opens up and triggers that same thing in other people.”
     Over the years, the choir has performed at major venues such as Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall and a sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden. Aside from their own moments in the spotlight, the ensemble has also backed major gospel artists such as CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith and Larnelle Harris. The choir’s latest CD, Declare Your Name, is the 28th album in an amazing repertoire that includes six Grammy Awards, nine Dove Awards, two #1 Billboard charting CDs and over four million albums sold.                                                                                                                                                                   ~ This biography was provided by the artist or their representative ... //en.wikipedia.org/ - //www.amazon.com/.

     The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir is directed by Carol Cymbala, the wife of Senior Pastor Jim Cymbala and the daughter of the church founder, the late Rev. Clair Hutchins. Although the Choir is composed of vocally untrained church members, it has been used by the Lord to present the love of God all over the world. The 285-voice choir has recorded three videos, three DVDs, and numerous albums, winning six Grammy Awards. “The choir represents all different walks of life and every kind of sin,” Pastor Cymbala says. “You name it and we have someone who has been saved out of it, standing next to another one who has grown up in the church.”
     In the early 1980’s, Carol Cymbala decided to “make a little tape for the church,” and when she had trouble finding enough appropriate songs, she began writing them. Although she cannot read or write music, the Lord has given her a special gift to direct and create from the heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. After 25 years of recording and live performances, the Lord continues to use the Choir to carry the message of the Gospel around the world.
It is a highly unlikely ensemble, a mixture of ethnic and economic backgrounds, in the heart of a city synonymous with coldness and decay. The choir is made up of attorneys and street people, nurses and ex-crack addicts, a unique cross section of humanity. Pastor Cymbala explains: “None of us would have met if it weren’t for Christ. Our backgrounds are just too diverse. But all of us have one thing in common: we have all been lifted up and saved. So the Choir sings—not about a theological position—but about what has happened to them. It’s not a theory; it’s a reality.”
     Starting each practice with prayer reinforces that principle. Even the rehearsal prior to the Sunday services are all closed in prayer as the choir asks the Lord to bless their music and anoint their songs for the service. “The great evangelist D.L. Moody found that the tender strains of the Gospel could open people’s hearts to the music of the soul,” Pastor Cymbala says, “and I find that the choir greatly facilitates the ministry that goes on here. In their own uniquely sincere and almost vulnerable way, some by not being trained singers, while others are coming from totally non-religious backgrounds, they are able to display an openness, a transparent ‘heartfeltness’ that opens up and triggers the same thing in other people.”
     The Choir’s latest album project is entitled "Declare Your Name". Their concert venues in New York City have included Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, the Paramount Theater, and a sold-out performance at the Madison Square Garden Theater. “I just want to see people drawn to Jesus Christ,” Carol Cymbala says, “I want the music to be the arrow that points them to Him.”
     The logistics of the Choir traveling proves too cumbersome except for a few ministry trips each year. A core group of vocalists called The Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers, who sing all of the music of the Choir, travel frequently to international and domestic destinations.        //www.brooklyntabernacle.org/.

    Imagine for a minute that you’ve been given charge of a small group of people—a melting pot of humanity from all walks of life. As time goes by, this small group expands to 100, 200, 300. Teachers, janitors, store clerks, restaurant servers. Ordinary people who work long hours, raise their children and whole heartedly to serve the Lord. As some move on, others arrive to replace them. Over the next 30 years, almost every Friday night and all day on Sundays, you’re going to love them, pray with them, and teach them how to sing (and to live) out loud and with passion.
     In many respects, this has been the life of Carol Cymbala, director of the world famous Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. A pastor’s wife, with a heart (and incredible ear) for music, Carol started the choir in the ‘70s, as an extension of her husband’s church ministry. Thirty+ years, 22 albums, 4 million in sales, and 6 Grammys later, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir is one of the most recognized and certainly the most awarded choir today.
     Now, with the follow-up to the Grammy-award winning project, Live: This Is Your House, Carol Cymbala and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir are back with I'm Amazed... Live, the most musically diverse recording in BTC history.            ~ Ino Records.

Article créé le 23 mars 2010