Thursday, May 6th, 2010, at 7:30 PM

JP Concerts presents the New England Spiritual Ensemble. Donations gratefully accepted, to help support the musicians. “Songs that soothe the soul” describes the traditional African American spiritual, which forms the New England Spiritual Ensemble’s repertoire and frames its mission. Gospel which evolved from the traditional spirituals, can be more exuberant, but nothing touches the depths of the soul or connects with its yearnings more than the spirituals. Although not all of us learned them at the knee of a grandmother, the spirituals are part of the cultural experience of all of us – a uniquely American musical tradition born of suffering but infused with unshakable hope.

The Boston-based New England Spiritual Ensemble was founded in 1994 by Vincent Dion Stringer, Myran Parker-Brass and Beverly Mosby. The members of the ensemble are conservatory trained professional musicians who are exceptional communicators – their performances are captivating and totally engrossing, always involving the audience emotionally. Modeled after the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers, the ensemble is devoted to “preserving the art and tradition of Negro spirituals”. As such, members have created several educational outreach programs over the years, including a summer music camp for high school students, a Spirituals symposium that aired online at WGBH, and a joint workshop with the Cantata Singers at Boston Arts Academy’s Summer Institute for educators.

In addition to national and international tours, the New England Spiritual Ensemble has appeared nationally on “CBS Sunday Morning”, on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today”, and is the subject of several public television features. The ensemble’s recording, “Comin Up Shouting”, features the arrangements of spirituals and works of John Andrew Ross. According to the Boston Globe, the New England Spiritual Ensemble is “excellent…blessed with performers who own good voices…daringly expressive”, and reported that their performance “brought a hush to the hall”.