Gospel Choir Brings Its Sound to a South Side Church in Chicago
Eric Rutherford ’17, a Columbia College Chicago alum and adjunct faculty member in the School of Audio and Music, believes in giving students real-world context. For the gospel choir he leads, that means singing gospel where gospel thrives — in a church on Chicago’s South Side.
“This music was born in Chicago,” says Rutherford, who grew up in Detroit as a pastor’s kid and learned to play piano in church at age nine. “It’s a little bit of an affront for students to only sing it in a classroom. Gospel music was created to bring people together and to inspire. It belongs in the community.”
So, on Sunday, Oct. 26, Rutherford and members of Columbia’s gospel choir, piled into a school bus and headed to Union Tabernacle Church in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, bringing students face-to-face with the roots of the very music they’ve been studying in class at Columbia.
Gospel music in Chicago traces its roots to the Great Migration and the creative energy of early 20th-century Black churches, where artists melded blues melodies with sacred lyrics and helped establish the city as the cradle of modern gospel. In Chicago’s South Side congregations, gospel evolved into a collective voice for hope, community, and faith.
A Day of Song and Connection
The visit to Union Tabernacle was designed as more than a concert. The day included performances by both Columbia’s choir and youth from the Englewood church, as well as appearances from a local gospel rapper.
“This was about connection,” Rutherford says. “We wanted the church’s youth to see collegiate singers performing at a high level and for our students to understand the power of the music they’re performing.”
The program highlighted gospel as both a cultural bridge and a force for inspiration.
“The word ‘gospel’ literally means ‘good news,’” Rutherford says. “Sharing that message in the community where it started gives our students a sense of purpose beyond performance.”
The Columbia choir’s performance gave the church the opportunity to see that gospel music transcends generations, race, and ethnicity, according to Pastor Walter Carter.
“Having a multi-ethnic college choir performing music that has traditionally been sung by African American Christian churches really shows the beauty of the Gospel in music form,” he says. “The congregants loved hearing the music they had grown to love in our church sung by this well-trained group of young people from diverse backgrounds … I can’t wait to have them again.”
A Lesson That Lasts
For Rutherford, who once performed at the same church as a student musician, the return to Union Tabernacle carried deep personal meaning. It also offered students something they can’t learn in a rehearsal room.
“What I hope they take away is that gospel music is a living tradition,” he says. “When they sing with conviction, they feel how their voices can move people. That’s something they’ll carry into any musical setting.”
Rutherford also hopes the trip and the growing visibility of the choir shines a light on Columbia.
“I want people to see that Columbia produces excellent, high-quality programs and community connections,” he says. “When our students sing, they’re not just performing, they’re inspiring.”