When the LSU Gospel Choir began more than three decades ago, the University was a different place. On Friday night, members of the choir and the A.P. Tureaud Sr. LSU Black Alumni Chapter gathered together at the Manship Theatre in downtown Baton Rouge to celebrate and commemorate the changes that have taken place in Louisiana over the years.
Nicknamed “The Soul of Louisiana,” the choir proved worthy of the title with heartfelt performances throughout the celebration.
The night was dedicated to the memory of several important trailblazers for civil rights at the University and in the state of Louisiana. Figures like famed civil-rights lawyer A.P. Tureaud Sr., the University’s first African-American undergraduate student A.P. Tureaud Jr. and first African-American homecoming queen Reneé Boutte Meyer received recognition for their achievements. Throughout the night, the choir served as an integral part of the festivities.
Laurence Hebert, University alumnus and choir director, said the choir, which students can take as a class in the School of Music, had to work hard in a short amount of time to prepare for the event.
“I came in being the new Gospel Choir instructor, and because it was a new year and a new class, we put everything together in about two weeks,” Hebert said.
Despite limited practice time and the obstacles that come with a new school year as students shuffle in and out of classes, the choir was able to come together and deliver a memorable show. Hebert attributes their success to the unique emotional connection that comes with being a part of the LSU Gospel Choir.
According to Hebert, the Gospel Choir is a class unlike any other.
“We become more of a community,” Hebert said. “I don’t know of any class you can take where 10 years from now you have people that come back and still want to take the class.”
Everrett Parker, founder of the choir, addressed the crowd Friday night and spoke about what the choir means to the University and to the members who have passed through it.
“Over the course of time, I came to realize that the LSU Gospel Choir is not just an organization, but a living organism with a personality, heart and soul, as well as emotional, social and musical sinews that set it apart and make it unique,” Parker said.
Parker even noted that there were many in the audience, now married and raising families of their own, who had met and gotten to know each other in the choir.
Passionate performances like Friday night’s reinforce the feeling of community within the choir, Hebert said.
“We bond because we have to perform,” Hebert said. “We hope it is something that you can come back to years later.”

Gallery • 9 Photos

Angela Major

LSU Gospel Choir director Laurence Hebert plays the piano at rehearsal Friday, September 6, 2013 in the LSU School of Music Building.