The BBC runs the songs of praise amateur gospel choir of the year competition to celebrate gospel music in the UK.
This is the platform to recognise the gospel work being done by gospel choirs across the country. A selection is done from the entries and then a shortlisting takes place where they choose six choirs to battle it out over a period of 2 weeks (2 episodes) on TV. This is to decide the overall winner of that year. However, in the latter years the number of choirs chosen for the finals of the competition decreased to five amateur choirs. Besides the recognition that each choir receives, the winner will be awarded with the Gospel Choir of the Year trophy and £1,000 to support the development of the choir.
Previous winners
Since the inception of the competition in 2013, a vast number of choirs have had the opportunity to showcase their talents and spread the message of the gospel through singing across the UK. Each year has brought forth a new winner and the competition has been hosted at a number of venues around England.
2013 Winners - Town Hall Gospel Choir. Photo from the BBC website
2013 – The competition was held at the Town Hall in Birmingham where the first ever winners of the Songs of Praise Gospel Choir of the Year were announced. The Town Hall Gospel Choir (from Birmingham) took home the trophy that year with their rendition of the song ‘Blessed Assurance’. Their choir director was Colin Anderson. The judges for the night were singer-songwriter and actress Ruby Turner, Bazil Meade, founder of the London Community Gospel Choir and vocal coach and TV presenter Carrie Grant.
2014 Winners - Lewes Sings Gospel. Photo from the BBC website
2014 – The competition was held at London’s Hackney Empire and Lewes Sings Gospel took home the award. This choir was led by Karen Gibson (director of the Kingdom Choir) and their winning song was ‘Why we sing’. That year’s presenter was David Grant. The judges were soul singer, Mica Paris, Carrie Grant, and gospel artist and worship leader, Muyiwa Olarewaju.
2015 – Birmingham Gospel Choir were crowned the winners that year at London’s Hackney Empire. They sang ‘Now Behold the Lamb’ by Kirk Franklin with a superb male soloist. The programme was presented by David Grant. The judges were west end star, Sharon D Clarke, Carrie Grant and Muyiwa Olarewaju.
Choirs in the 2015 Competition. Photo from the BBC website.
2016 – The Manchester Inspirational Voices were the proud winners as they expressed themselves through the songs ‘Sofana Naye (Be like Him)’ and ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’. Their sound went throughout London’s Hackney Empire. The programme was presented by David Grant and the judges were Carrie Grant, Muyiwa Olarewaju and Sharon D. Clarke.
2017 – The winners for that year were BIG Sing Gospel Voices. They sang the songs ‘Praise the Lord’ and ‘Sold out’. The programme was presented by David Grant and the judges included singer-songwriter, Seal; broadcaster and worship leader, Muyiwa Olarewaju and award-winning gospel specialist Karen Gibson. The competition was held at the Central Hall, Westminster.
Judges in the 2018 Competition. Photo from BBC website
2018 – The year’s winners were the Shalom Chorale from East London and they were directed by Dr D.K Olukoya. They sang ‘Soon it will be done’ and ‘He Turned it’. The programme was presented by David Grant. The judges included award-winning choir director Gareth Malone, gospel choir leader Karen Gibson and actor and singer Shaun Escoffery. The competition was held at the Albert Hall in Nottingham.
2019 – The Reading Community Gospel Choir took home the trophy with their winning song ‘Stranger’. The event was hosted by Yolanda Brown. The judges for the evening were pop icon Rick Astley, star of musical theatre Brenda Edwards and vocal coach Mark De-Lisser. The competition was held at the Reading Town Hall in Reading.
Due to the restrictions placed on the country during the COVID 19 pandemic, the competition was postponed until 2023.
EAGA’s Year
2023 - This was the year that the Emmanu’-EL Apostolic Gospel Academy (EAGA) choir from Leicester took home the trophy. It was a moment of great celebration as we finally held that trophy in our hands after appearing on the programme two times before. The mission was set and every member was in one accord as we sang the songs to glorify the Lord. This was a blessing to those who ministered and those who heard the ministration. EAGA music director Minister Jordan’s arrangements of some classic songs were awesome. This added colour to the competition and the judges were in awe. The choir sang songs which included a medley of ‘In Christ Alone’ with ‘Tis So Sweet’ and later caused an eruption with the rendition of another medley ‘His eyes is on the sparrow/African medley’ in the final. The show was presented by Mark De-Lisser and the judges for the night were Gareth Malone; actress, performer and queen of soul Mica Paris; and MOBO award-winning gospel artist and Christian rapper Guvna B. The competition was held at The Monastery in Manchester.
Conclusion
The Songs of Praise Gospel Choir of the Year competition has been a wonderful experience for those who have taken part. Although a choir might not win the coveted prize, they leave an indelible mark and gain an exponential degree of experience. This helps a choir to formulate ways of improvement and builds effective team working skills. It is certainly a competition that is encouraged and of a certainty a great platform for amateur choirs to maximise their talents. If you or someone you know is a part of a choir, why not encourage your choir to participate?
