When the Café of the Gate of Salvation takes to the stage, ears ring, hearts sing, and happiness explodes from the irresistible joy of this 34-voice choir. With a dazzling repertoire of sacred music from the African-American gospel and spiritual tradition, their original compositions and traditional arrangements are complex, uplifting, and make for a truly unforgettable live experience.
Australia's premiere gospel choir, Café of the Gate of Salvation, makes a long awaited appearance at the 10th Camden Haven Music Festival, to be held between 13 and 20 March. Equally comfortable in a funky nightclub, church or formal classical music venue, the choir appeals to a range of audiences no matter what their musical or religious predilections. Several choir members sing professionally in bands and as session singers. The strength of their soloing provides another element that distinguishes the Café from most other choirs.
Founded in Glebe in 1986 by composer, singer and arranger Tony Backhouse, they are triple winners of the prestigious Contemporary a Cappella Recording Awards in the USA, the only Australian, and one of the few non-American choirs to achieve such recognition. The Café has performed at Gospel programmes and services in churches from New York to Alabama and Louisiana , while a small group of choir members also performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Getting the Café to the Camden Haven Music Festival fulfills a long held desire of organisers, after Tony Backhouse brought his gospel quartet Heavenly Lights to the Camden Haven in 2002, which proved to be one of the all time favourite Festival performances.
Further information about the 2005 10th Camden Haven Music Festival can be obtained from its website www.camdenhavenmusicfestival.org.au or from the Coordinator Alvena Ferguson, email chmf@tsn.cc or phone (02) 6556 9622