CANYON, Texas — A finalist from NBC’s “The Voice” and the Amarillo Mass Choir will join the West Texas A&M University Symphony Orchestra for special Black History Month concerts in February.
Michelle Brooks-Thompson, who competed in the third season of the reality singing competition, and the North Amarillo-based choir will perform twice with the orchestra: a 7 p.m. Feb. 15 gospel concert at New Light Ministries, 1001 N.E. 24th Ave. in Amarillo, and a “Music of Inspiration” pops concert at 7 p.m. Feb. 17 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus.
Admission is free to both concerts. For information, call 806-651-2840.
Brooks-Thompson is a winner of Amateur Night at the Apollo and has appeared on Trinity Broadcast Network and elsewhere.
“I first met Michelle when she was a glee club member at Mount Holyoke College, where I was the orchestra conductor,” said Dr. Mark Bartley, director of orchestral activities, the Lilith Brainard Professor of Music and associate dean of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. “I’ve watched her career blossom over the years, and I’m thrilled that she can join us not only for these two concerts, but also as a guest artist to work with our students.”
The concerts are a joint production with the WT School of Music, the Office for Engaged Citizenship and the WT Guest Artist Series.
“My role involves identifying opportunities to engage our students in learning experiences that not only complement their classroom education but also connect them with valuable community resources and experiences extending beyond academia,” said Angela Allen, WT’s director of engaged citizenship. “When reaching out to the community for participants, we emphasized inclusivity, welcoming individuals from diverse denominations, races and ethnicities to form a choir to collaborate with our students. This collaboration is going to be an exceptional experience for both our students and the community.”
Singers from 17 different churches are scheduled to participate, Allen said.
The gospel concert will feature music by CeCe Winans, Tasha Cobbs, Walter Hawkins and others, including Brooks-Thompson’s original composition “Never Give Up.” Special guests will include Amarillo musicians Devlon Jones, SUA (Sisters Under the Anointing) and Teresa Webb.
The pops concert will feature R&B songs like “Greatest Love of All,” “Listen” and “I Will Survive,” plus favorites from the soundtracks of movies like “How to Train Your Dragon,” “The Prince of Egypt” and more.
WT concerto competition winner Dillon Martin, a junior music education major from odessa, will play André Waignein’s “Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone” with the orchestra.
An orchestra roster is below.
Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.
That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $150 million.
