Since its inception over 40 years ago when the Choir began with only nine members, the choir director, Carol Cymbala, has never read music - though she has written numerous hit songs-and the choir has never used charts. The 300-voice choir is a blend of ethnic and economic backgrounds, with members ranging from lawyers and doctors to former drug addicts. Cymbala believes that choirs and praise teams have important responsibilities to the churches they serve.

"When we truly worship, we open our hearts to hear from God," says Cymbala. "Church praise teams should never perform praise and worship. If we simply perform, our congregations become spectators instead of worshipers, and it is vital that we worship from our hearts in spirit and in truth. Worship is contagious, and when we worship as a choir and praise team, the congregation, in turn, begins to lift their hearts and worship God. I also believe our song selections should be simple enough that young and old, the diverse body of Christ, can lift their hearts in praise and worship together as one."

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has performed at major music venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Madison Square Garden. Their accolades include six Grammy Awards, seven Dove Awards (Gospel Music’s Grammy equivalent), two #1 Billboard charting CDs and over four million albums sold. The choir sang “The Battle Hymn of The Republic” at President Obama’s second inauguration ceremony on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to a worldwide television audience of over a billion people. The Choir has performed on various national TV shows including Good Morning America and Fox and Friends, among others. Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir was featured on the cover of The New York Times and highlighted in Time Magazine. The choir’s previous CD, Love Lead the Way, debuted at #1 on the iTunes Christian/Gospel album chart last year. To view the concert on Sunday, February 8, visit: http://www.brooklyntabernacle.org/media/live.

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