Cathedral to rock tonight with gospel music

The neo-gothic Cathedral of the Madeleine will swing and rock to the sounds of gospel music as the 20th annual Madeleine Festival of the Arts and Humanities gets under way tonight at 8.

Titled "Still I Rise," the concert is a celebration of traditional gospel music.

Performing will be Salt Lake's Calvary Baptist Church Choir, under the direction of Brian Hesleph.The narrator will be the Rev. France A. Davis from Calvary Baptist.

"We're excited about this concert," said festival co-director Drew Browning. "It will be a nice evening of gospel music. People are receptive to having something different, and I hope everyone will let the spirit of the music get them."

The evening is intended to invoke the soul of New Orleans gospel.

But more than just a gospel concert, the evening is also intended to remind people about the plight of New Orleans. The title has a twofold significance. Not only is it taken from a gospel song, it is also meant to be symbolic of the hurricane-devastated city.

To that end, Browning said the concert will be dedicated to the people of New Orleans and will serve as a fund-raiser for the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity.

Browning has close personal ties to the Big Easy. Originally from Baton Rouge, La., he has family living in New Orleans going back several generations. "I was there last December for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, and the city is just a shadow of itself," he said. "It's heartbreaking.

"I want to raise awareness of the struggles of the people of New Orleans and draw parallels between what they face and the struggles the people who sang these gospel songs originally had to endure," he said.

Browning hopes to raise a sizable sum of money at today's concert for Habitat for Humanity. "We're not trying to make a big political statement — that's not what we're about. What we're trying to do is make a dent in what is needed for New Orleans. And no matter what we bring in, it will be appreciated."

This won't be the first time that gospel music has been heard in the cathedral. In 1999, the Spirit Chorale of Los Angeles performed at one of the festival concerts. Browning said he's always looking out for "things that are different from other venues, although we also like to have the tried and true as well."

But each year, it seems to be more difficult finding something fresh, he added. "So what you have to do is reach deep down into your basket to find something people will say, 'Wow, that's new!"'