4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
First-ever Gospel Fest Miami features a Haitian choir and plenty of star power
Choir leader Gamaliel Fleurantin said he isn't afraid to bring a new flavor to the traditional genre of gospel music.
Since the age of five, the Miami musician has performed in church choirs — starting with the one lead by his mother — and is now leading a choir of his own.
His choir, Gamaliel Fleurantin and Community Sounds, is breaking the barriers of the genre to blend traditional gospel worship songs with Haitian influences. The group, made up of mostly Haitian and a few Jamaican singers from various religious backgrounds, aims to bring the power of gospel music to the mainstream.
'We bring the church to the outside ... We're bringing the church everywhere we go,' said Fleurantin, who has been a choir and band director for various schools and universities throughout Miami, including the Young Men's Preparatory Academy, St. Thomas University and Miami Carol City Senior High.
The gospel group evolved from a youth choir which began at Fleurantin's church, Hillside Church Miami in Little River, in 2002. Since the group opened up membership to outside the church in 2016, they've performed in many different venues, from competitions to baby showers, and recently, they've become a fan favorite in Miami.
Earlier this year, Gamaliel Fleurantin and Community Sounds won the People's Choice Award at a competition hosted by the Adrienne Arsht Center's Gospel Center. Then, to Fleurantin's surprise, they won first place, earning them a prize of $5,000 and a performance spot at the inaugural Gospel Fest Miami Weekend, which kicks off this Friday, June 20 at the Arsht Center's Knight Concert Hall.
'It was just a proud moment, letting me know that, yes, I have faithful choir members, but also have the community, our supporters that want to see the best for this ministry,' he said.
For Fleurantin, the win is personal. He now has the opportunity to open for famed gospel and R&B singer Michelle Williams — who is also a former member of Destiny's Child — as well as choir leader and gospel singer Hezekiah Walker, who is known as 'the hip-hop pastor.' But, it's Walker who Fleurantin is most excited to meet.
'I'm gonna be geeked out just a little bit,' he said with a laugh. 'A lot of the music that I look to, and that my culture, the Haitian culture, can relate to has been his songs.'
The Gospel Fest will feature three days of concerts, panels and a film screening all highlighting the impact of gospel on American culture, faith and activism. The weekend is a culmination of a six-month season of gospel performances, which included free pop-up concerts around Miami-Dade County, all in an effort to spotlight the genre and its cultural significance in Miami.
'Every piece of it was curated to make sure that the overall culture and history was celebrated,' said Zaylin Yates, community engagement manager for the Arsht Center. 'It's not traditionally in a church, but the vision behind it is still to be a true gospel celebration.'
Gospel Fest Miami is a first for the Arsht Center, but builds on the 'free gospel Sunday series,' a program that's been around for 15 years. The festival began in January with the Gospel Choir Invitational, a free choral competition where 25 collegiate, community and church choirs competed for a grand prize.
'It was just fantastic to see different cultures celebrated,' said Yates. 'Seeing all those different backgrounds ... I took that as success because it reached who it was supposed to reach.'
The competition drew submissions from choirs from various faith traditions across Florida, including Catholic, Christian, Baptist and Penecostal — but it was ultimately a home-grown choir, Fleurantin's group, that took the prize.
'It was just an overall great performance,' Yates said, adding that Fleurantin's choir came in looking sharp with custom robes. 'If there's anything about a traditional gospel crowd, they love them a good set of robes... They had their, how some of us like to call it 'choir-ography' very intact and they just sounded great.'
Part of the goal of the festival, according to organizers, was to celebrate Miami-based artists by putting them on a larger stage.
To help find local talent, the Arsht Center turned to the Miami-Dade Alliance of Gospel Music Professionals, a group of musicians, artists, radio personalities and directors that has been working for over 50 years to promote and preserve the history of gospel music.
The alliance was instrumental in organizing 'Gospel on the Road' events, which featured free community concerts made up of singers, dancers and spoken word artists from Miami.
Yates said the weekend will be both 'fun and educational,' with panels and events that discuss the origins of gospel music and how influential the genre is in popular music today.
'I feel like gospel is always just the base for any good musician, singer, artist in general, and it influences the overall culture, from jazz to R&B, to pop, rock,' Yates said. 'So it was a no-brainer to just highlight that and for the Arsht Center to bring that to the forefront.'
One of the events this weekend is a free screening of the film 'Gospel: The Gospel Train,' which explores the original pioneers of gospel music like Mahalia Jackson in Chicago and how the genre made its way down south.
The festival will also host pre-show conversations about gospel's influence on the Civil Rights Movement, and how the music served not only as a form of worship and spiritual connection, but also as a form of protest.
As someone who grew up in Haitian churches, Fleurantin wanted his choir to sing some of the popular gospel songs, like Michael W. Smith's 'How Majestic is your name' in Creole. He said it's a way to celebrate his own culture while showing the world another side of Haiti aside from all the political strife.
'it gives them an opportunity to see the Haitian culture in a different light, as opposed to what's being said and what's being shared on the news.' Fleurantin said.
The music teacher said he has a certain talent in bringing out 'excellence' in his choir members — whether they are an all-boys middle school choir or young adult choir like Community Sounds. Next year, the group marks ten years since Fleurantin began directing the choir — a milestone they hope to celebrate with a performance of over 100 people, including past and present members.
'The gospel realm is constantly evolving,' he said. 'I hope as it evolves we're able to add our stamp to the evolution.'
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Gospel Fest Miami Weekend
WHEN: June 20-22, 2025
WHERE: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
COST: All events free (RSVP required) except for Michelle Williams ticketed concert. Tickets are $36-$76.
INFORMATION: 305-949-6722 or
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
