by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Jacksonville will unchain the melodies this summer as it becomes only the third city in the country to host a McDonald’s Gospelfest competition.
The announcement was made Tuesday at the Landing, with Ronald McDonald introducing dignitaries, and singers from the Paxon School for Advanced Studies providing background music for lunch time crowds.
“This event will be a great opportunity for us to showcase the talents this city has, to showcase all the great amenities this city has,” said City Council member Reggie Fullwood. “It will hopefully prepare us as we move forward to the Super Bowl and some of the other great things we’re going to experience in this city.”
Hundreds of visiting singers, their families and church members will be in Jacksonville for Gospelfest, which will open July 23 with a celebrity gospel concert at the T-U Center.
The main competition will be held the evening of July 24, also at The T-U Center. The event will be taped for television.
Jacksonville will join New York City and Los Angeles as the only cities to host the competition.
“This event will signify much bigger things, much greater things for our city,” said Fullwood. “Jacksonville welcomes this event, and we look forward, hopefully, to participating in it annually.”
Contestants will be selected by live auditions and mail-in entries, said the program’s producer, Deborah McDuffie.
Auditions will be held March 20, 27, April 24 and May 8. Mail-in entries will be accepted until April 24.
Entry forms will be located at all McDonald’s restaurants in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia, at local churches with music programs and on-line at www.mcdonaldsgospelfest.com.
“This will be a great opportunity for us to showcase our local talent as well as get a chance to see other talent from around the country,” said Fullwood.
Others helping organize the event are Daniel R. Wynn, director of visual arts programs; Frank Cleveland III, director of music programs; and Teneese K. Thomas, director of theatrical arts programs at the Northeast Florida Foundation of the Arts (NFFA).
Proceeds from Gospelfest will benefit NFFA, a not-for-profit youth arts organization.
Performance categories for the event include best solo performance, best small choir performance, best large choir performance, best praise and worship dance performance, best college choir, best youth chorus, instrumental, gospel rap and out-of-town.
The Youth Mass Choir will be the host choir for the competition. Members between 13 and 21 will be chosen by auditions being held between May 8 and June 12 at McDonald’s locations in Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Brunswick.
The choir, which will include students from the Paxon School, will be accompanied by the Frank Cleveland Gospel Ensemble on July 24 at The T-U Center.
“Jacksonville is one of the strongest gospel and inspirational music centers in the southern United States,” said McDuffie. “It is the perfect city to host a weekend celebrating the joy and power of gospel music.”
Fullwood said the city is eager to help celebrate gospel music’s renewed popularity.
“Gospel music is certainly on the rise in our country,” he said. “I grew up on gospel music, although I’m probably the only person in history to get kicked out of Kids’ Choir
. . . because I can’t sing worth a lick.”
The Ritz Voices All-City Youth Chorus will perform as the opening act for the Friday Night Concert.