The Coro Gospel de Madrid and the Spanish NGO "Diaconía" join forces once again to bring you a powerful show at Christmas, and –as always– with a benefit goal in mind.

#ROMPELACADENA (Break the chain): Gospel music to help fight modern slavery: musicians, singers, soloists, actors...and much more...

The benefit concerts will take place on Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 8:00 PM and Sunday, December 14, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the auditorium of the Sanchinarro cultural center (Madrid),

Modern slavery

En recent years, gospel music has has gained a large following in our country, but few people here understand the origins of this musical genre.

The songs called "Negro spirituals" appeared as a form of communication and expression among African people who were captured to serve as slaves in the United States. There they were exploited in every way imaginable, treated as merchandise and considered the mere property of their owners. But they discovered that African songs and rhythms were the perfect vehicle for expressing their faith and hope in Jesus Christ, and this became the stimulus that enabled them to continue fighting for freedom.

These spirituals, over time, were interwoven with different musical styles and instrumentation, giving birth to what we now know as gospel music, which –in addition to being a winsome genre in its own right– has a powerful impact due to its underlying message of finding freedom in the midst of suffering.

This is why we have chosen this musical genre as a means of expression: to increase awareness about the forms of slavery that continue to this day in a modern and post-modern world. People think that slavery is a thing of the past, but the fact of the matter is that, even today, millions of people around the globe find themselves trapped by trafficking networks with various objectives (labor exploitation, sexual exploitation, organ trafficking, etc.). These networks move many millions of dollars, but much of the world remains silent...

ROMPELACADENA (Break the chain) is a campaign sponsored by the Spanish NGO "Diaconía" to fight human trafficking based on sexual exploitation and other modern forms of slavery.

We want to fight this not only so that society realizes that modern-day slavery is closer to us than we might expect: it could be the prostitute who works the streets in our neighborhood, the young person who begs at the stoplight, or the children who rummage through the dumpster... We also want to to raise awareness about the people who are potential victims; so we are fighting poverty and any circumstance that might make the weakest ones also the most vulnerable.

We need to take action, and for this reason, all of the money we raise in these two concerts will go toward projects and activities that Diaconía has underway to raise awareness about human trafficking and provide help for those in poverty and situations of vulnerability, the feeding grounds for the possible entrapment of victims. At the same time, we hope to support the work other sister organizations are already doing to help trafficking victims...

The Artists

Artistic direction: Nancy Roncesvalles, of Navarran ancestry, but born in the USA, and a resident of Madrid for the past 30 years. She holds degrees in Radio-Television and Music from Ithaca College (New York) and has pursued further post-graduate study in music pedagogy and choral conducting in Hungary, the United Kingdom, the United States and Spain. In addition to serving as founding director of the Coro Gospel de Madrid, she works as vocal coach and directs musicals at the American School of Madrid.

Coro Gospel de Madrid: The Madrid Gospel Choir is made up of about sixty people of different ages, nationalities and professions (both in and outside the professional musical world), in addition to eight band members and others who perform as dancers. They are drawn together by a passion for gospel music and an intense desire that this music help further social integration and intercultural exchange.

Children's Gospel Choir: sponsored and organized by the Coro Gospel de Madrid, the children's choir "Gospel Kids Connection" has already performed with the adult choir in several concerts.

Rev. Amos Obasohan: Born in Nigeria, Amos grew up listening to gospel music and singing as a self-taught artist. When he came to Spain with his family several years ago, he maintained contact with the musical world while simultaneously serving as the pastor of a Nigerian evangelical church. Amos continues to demonstrate an amazing natural talent and has found a way to continue perfecting his craft over the years, both by singing with the Coro Gospel de Madrid and as a solo artist (with his first CD, "It's so real"). His musical sphere of influence continues to grow, and he has performed with national artists like Pitingo, el Guadiana and others, creating a musical fusion between gospel and flamenco.

Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin: Trineice has a doctorate and master's degrees from Columbia Teachers College in Musical Pedagogy and Jazz. She also has several other degrees from other American universities. www.drtrineice.com/

She is the founder and creator of Soul Ingredients, a vocal pedagogy method for teaching different musical styles from the African-American tradition like jazz, gospel, R&B, blues, etc. The goal of this method is to help the student develop his or her own style, based on personal experience, musical influence and other background sources.

In her career as artist, professor and researcher, Dr. Trineice has performed in every type of venue, from small private parties to large international events. She has also lectured to students around the world. She is author and producer of the book and CD "Soul ingredients: gospel music, vocal training for the gospel soloist".

Use of your donations:

The budget for these two concerts is significant, even as we count on the philanthropic participation of the artists and often cover their own expenses in order to help our cause. But even with this help, we have expenses that are necessary in order to stage an event of this quality.

The 2000€ (approx. $2500 USD) we hope to raise through Verkami will cover the costs for sound and lighting equipment rental, and the fee for renting the auditorium (which, although a municipal facility, entails some expense for its use).

About the rewards:

The rewards will be given in the following manner: the tickets and CDs will be handed out on the day of the concert. You get them at the ticket office by showing an ID. The tickets are numbered, so don’t worry, you will have a reserved seat.

The time for attendance at the dress rehearsal will be announced by e-mail.

Donations that arrive from countries outside Spain will receive their gifts by post at no additional cost.

Schedule:

General Rehersal - Viernes 12 de Diciembre de 2014 (Lugar por confirmar)

Concert 1: Sábado 13 de Diciembre de 2014 a las 20.00 horas (Auditorio del CC Sanchinarro)

Concert 2: Domingo 14 de de Diciembre de 2014 a las 19.00 horas (Auditorio del CC Sanchinarro)

+ Info

http://www.corogospeldemadrid.com
http://www.diaconia.es
http://facebook.com/corogospeldemadrid
http://facebook.com/diaconia.espana
http://facebook.com/rompelacadenadiaconia
http://www.gospelkidsconnection.es/
@diaconiainforma
#rompelacadena