A New Voice for Gospel in Higher Education
Growing up in Richmond, Virginia, Alonza Lawrence lived music. As a long-time member of the Richmond Boys Choir and an active performer with his church and the local musical theatre scene, Lawrence nurtured a deep love of music of all styles and a desire to build a career in that space.
Yet, from an early age, Lawrence noticed that the music world separated musical styles based on place: gospel was for church, classical music for academia. As a graduate student at Indiana University, Lawrence made it his mission to challenge and transform that perception.
Lawrence dove deep into the history of gospel in the United States—one of the few musical forms that can truly be defined as originating in this country. He studied the legacy of composer Thomas A. Dorsey, who wrote blues, jazz, and gospel music in the early 20th century and is often referred to as the “father of gospel.” He even had the opportunity to interview members of the Three Mo’ Tenors, an African American vocal group that popularized gospel and opera performance through more mainstream performance outlets in the early 2000s.
“It’s a huge part of American history that goes unrecognized even within the academic walls of music,” explained Lawrence. “And it’s time for people like me to continue to carry the torch of people like Horace Boyer who studied and documented and made sure that people knew that gospel was not just a Sunday morning shower singing thing.”