Orange Grove celebrates Angels with gospel

Author: Polly Johnson

On Saturday, April 8, Mead Chapel buzzed with a blend of sadness, remembrance and joy as the Orange Grove Gospel Choir took the stage to both celebrate the conclusion of Religious Awareness Week as well as honor the memories of the Four Angels, Anisa Gamble, Tiffany Holmes, Iniko Johnson and Maika Prewitt, four first-year female students who died in a tragic car accident in 2000. Following their deaths, their parents established The Angels Award, which has been given annually to a Middlebury College sophomore woman of color who embodies the spirit of the four women.

This performance, under the direction of Mr. Marion West, marked the third occasion the Choir has performed at the College, the first time being in April of 2000 when they provided comfort for College, community and family members shocked and devastated by the loss.

Originally from Durham, N.C., the choir performs in and around the southeastern United States and has made two trips to England, where they performed in the famous Durham Cathedral.

Associate Dean of the College Marichal Gentry became involved with the choir when he worked at Duke University Medical Center for the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program and a colleague told him about Orange Grove. He was introduced to West who "welcomed him with open arms," Gentry said. He has been affiliated with the choir since 1994.

The choir was first scheduled to perform at Middlebury in April of 2000, coincidentally following the death of the Angels. After wavering over whether or not they should still perform, Gentry said, "I called the choir director to inform him of the tragedy that the College had experienced. The choir altered a few of its song selections and chose songs that would provide comfort to the Middlebury College community during this time of grief. The choir was so well received that it was invited to return in 2001. By this time, the Angels Award had been established, so it was fitting that the choir return again to honor the Angels."

In attendance at Saturday's performance was Mr. Lennox Holmes, father of Angel Tiffany Holmes. The award was presented during intermission, and Artist-in-Residence in Dance Amy Chavasse, dressed in all white, performed a moving, interpretative dance to honor the memory of the Angels. This year was the first time in the history of the award that it was presented to co-recipients, Merisha Enoe '08 and Angelica Towne '08. Of Enoe, as written in her nomination, Gentry wrote, "Merisha is the type of leader that leads because it is in her heart, she never asks for praise, she doesn't flaunt what she does, she doesn't expect recognition." Of Towne, it was written that, "Her accomplishments encompass a wide range of service to the campus community, focusing on her areas of passion - social justice, integration or ideals into action, conflict resolution and helping those in need." Other nominees included Maegan North '08, Morgane Richardson '08 and Esther Guidos '08.

An added perk of the choir's visit was a gospel workshop that was offered the morning of their performance, in which members of the College and community were invited to learn a song and perform it with the group during the show. Emily Eliot '07.5, who participated in the workshop, said, "Watching the performance from the audience was a wonderful experience, but being up there in the middle of it was absolutely incredible. The women I was surrounded by had these powerful, booming voices that just came right from the gut, and it was pretty moving to have them singing right into my ear."

Of the show, Director of Choral Music Jeff Rehbach said, "This past weekend's performance was powerful in its own way, particularly the strength of singing of the chorus and soloists, with the dynamic support of percussion and keyboards, all amplified to fill Mead Chapel with a sound we often don't hear in that space. The words of faith and hope, often with refrains over and over in gospel music style, clearly came not just from the singers' voices, but also from their hearts."

The choir was well-received by both the College and town community. Within the College, the choir, in an effort to experience the real campus feeling, "dined in Ross and Atwater dining halls," Gentry said. Additionally, "many students approached [Gentry] asking if it would be okay to eat with the choir, or to be introduced to choir members, and several students who attended the concert approached the director to thank him for such an inspiring and uplifting concert."

In honoring the College's beloved Angels, the choir succeeded in bringing to the College a message of warmth, love and remembrance through the power of music. Associate Chaplain Rabbi Ira Schiffer said, "I was very moved by the energy, dedication, faith and wonderful musicianship of the Orange Grove Choir," adding, "I can't imagine a more fitting way to honor the memory of the Angels."