Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir

Mission Statement

• To acknowledge the inspiration of Black Gospel music to express its power of Spirit and Creation
• To bring a message of faith, hope, love and joy to our community and the world
• To exemplify through interfaith, multi-racial and multi-cultural membership in the principles of equality, justice, peace, unity and cooperation
• To enable our human family to experience community in fellowship, celebrating unity in diversity through our music.

History of AIGC

Inspired by a visit to our community by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, the Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir was born in the spring of 1992. OIGC was part of that year’s concert series organized by Humboldt State University’s performing arts organization, CenterArts.

This event occurred synchronistically the weekend after the riots in Los Angeles following the Rodney King verdict. When OIGC came to perform that weekend, everyone was despondent and the concert, which was followed the next day with a Prayer Breakfast, served to heal the Spirit and bring those present together in harmony.

Among the speakers were Nathan Smith, Professor of Ethnic Studies, and Caleb Rosado, Professor of Sociology at HSU. The inspired singing from OIGC, the HSU’s Black Student Union Men’s Ensemble, directed by Lourin Plant, and local vocalist, Karen Dumont, moved everyone to tears in the old Arcata Community Center.

This interfaith and multiracial morning provided the vision for a small group of people who formed AIGC and the Multicultural Interfaith Fellowship. Several days after the Prayer Breakfast, the first choir rehearsal was held with Lourin Plant, a Choral Conductor at HSU, directing and the Fellowship began meeting at the Arcata Presbyterian Church. Thus from violence and turmoil, the seed of love, hope and joy was born.

When Lourin moved to Rowan State University in New Jersey, Karen Dumont, one of the principal soloists for AIGC, agreed to direct the choir until a trained director could be found. That never happened and eleven years later, she retired from the choir.

Barbara Culbertson was our choir director for several years after Karen Dumont. Jaese Lecuyer was a choir member since 1995 and assistant director under Barbara Culbertson, and took the role as our director for the 2008-2009 season. Jim Hubbard, another of our long time members, takes the leadership role for season 2009-2010 and we look forward to another lively year of praise and worship, Arcata Interfaith style.