Award-winning Tasmanian choir taking the gospel to Dallas

TASMANIA's award-winning Southern Gospel Choir will make the trip of a lifetime to Dallas this October.

CHOIR

TASMANIA's award-winning Southern Gospel Choir will make the trip of a lifetime to Dallas this October, after becoming the the only non-US group ever to be invited to perform at the How Sweet The Sound vocal competition.

Choir director Andrew Legg said the choir would be singing alongside the best African-American gospel artists in the US, including Smokie Norful, Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp and Myron Butler.

In addition to the competition, the choir would perform at a Sunday service at Dallas's Potter House -- the biggest African-American church in the US with a 45,000-strong congregation and a media unit that broadcasts around the clock during a 21-day, 15-show tour.

"This trip is more than a flying visit -- it will be a significant cultural exchange tour, with the SGC seeking to honour the traditions and culture of African-Americans and to immerse themselves in this world," Dr Legg said.

"The effect on the SGC sound and musicality will be astronomical," he said.

"At the same time, we will be taking our own musical excellence and cultural heritage to the world of African-America, building life-long relationships and partnerships, and telling the Tasmanian story in our own unique and extremely powerful way."

To help finance the trip for the party of 80 -- comprising 70 choir members, five band members and five support crew -- the SGC will host a fund-raising dinner at the Henry Jones Art Hotel on Monday, March 3, compered by Ray Martin and featuring super chef Tetsuya Wakuda.

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