The annual A Soulful Christmas returns this winter with an inspiring, uplifting communal gathering of regional choristers, performing holiday spirituals and gospel favorites! Lights go out as thousands of people hold flashlights and sing "Silent Night"! There is no better way to feel the Christmas spirit.
Get excited to share the Christmas message of goodwill toward humankind!
With Artistic & Music Director: Dr. J. Donald Dumpson
Tune in to WDAS- FM 105.3 at 7 pm on December 24 and 2 pm on December 25 to enjoy a full broadcast of this year's A Soulful Christmas!
This year’s program will feature the following Choirs, Churches, and Organizations:
Deliverance Evangelistic Church Mass Choir
Pastor Glen Spaulding
Alex Ingram, Music Director
Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Mass Choir
Rev. Dr. Alyn E. Waller
Dr. Cassandra Jones, Music Director
Gospel Music Preservation Alliance
Rev. Harry Lee Williams
Karen M. Hines, Music Director
Mount Carmel Baptist Church Combined Choir
Rev. Dr. Donald D. Moore
Charles A. Johnson Jr., Music Director
Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church Choir
Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram
Rev. Richard Norris II, Music Director
Philadelphia Catholic Gospel Mass Choir
Father Christopher M. Walsh
Kennyatta Arrington, Music Director
Philadelphia Heritage Chorale
J. Donald Dumpson, Music Director
Philadelphia Heritage Youth Chorale
Dr. Rollo Dilworth, Music Director
Soulful Praise Dancers
Tara Bligen, Movement Director
Universal African Drummers, Dancers, & Stilt Walkers
Jamal Dickerson, Director
Co-Hosts:
- Patty Jackson, WDAS-FM 105.3
- Dyana Williams, WRNB-FM 100.3
- Fred Blain, WNAP-AM 1160
With Special Guests:
- Marvin Mills, organist on Fred J. Cooper Memorial Pipe Organ
- Dottie Peoples, Honoree
Dottie Peoples has a gift for creating thought-provoking, life-affirming music that resonates deeply with audiences throughout the world. Peoples grew up in Ohio, but spent summers in Alabama with her grandmother who encouraged her young granddaughter’s dream of growing up to sing like Mahalia Jackson. “I did my first little ‘ole song around eight or nine years old,” Peoples recalls. “I remember singing and running out of the church. I got scared because everybody was shouting.”
Dottie continued singing and developed quite a reputation as a jazz vocalist. “I joined Salem Baptist Church and one of the ladies in the choir, told the minister of music, ‘This girl can sing!’ He asked if I’d like to try a song. The first solo I did was called ‘If You Move Yourself.’ I sang that song that Sunday morning and people were shouting. It changed my whole life because I stood there and realized that I was blessing people. Burdens were being lifted. I knew I didn’t want to sing jazz anymore. I just want to sing for the Lord. I got back to my roots and I’ve been singing gospel ever since.”
In addition to singing, Peoples is also an astute businesswoman. She served as general manager of Church Door Records and also launched her own radio show. After 14 years with Church Door, Peoples signed with AIR Records and took her career to another level, earning her first Stellar Award nomination. Her 1994 release on AIR, “On Time God,” was a pivotal release that rocketed to No. 1 on the charts and earned her four Stellar Awards and a nomination for Soul Train’s Lady of Soul Award. Peoples has continued to garner more than 50 industry accolades, including the 2010 Stellar for Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year. This year, the concert will include as our special guest, Grammy ® Award- nominated, Dove, Stellar, GMWA, NAACP Image Award-Winning Singer DOTTIE PEOPLES.