Christian singer and songwriter, Joann Rosario, headlines Jan. 26 gospel and hip-hop concert

Concert: Gospel singer Joann Rosario, with appearances by local R&B and hip-hop artists
Date and time: Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Sauder Concert Hall, Goshen College Music Center
Cost: Free and open to the public
Event sponsor: Goshen College Multicultural Affairs Office
Web site: www.joannrosario.com

GOSHEN, Ind. – It will be a night where the sounds of gospel, hip-hop and R&B will mesh together – all to give praise to God.

Gospel singer and songwriter Joann Rosario, who grew up in Chicago as a preacher’s kid in a Puerto Rican family, will perform at Goshen College in Sauder Concert Hall on Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in a free concert. The concert will also include appearances by northern Indiana Christian musicians performing gospel, R&B, hip-hop and rap: YPJ & FVC, Lwan Easton, Goshen College’s gospel choir Voices-n-Harmony, P-Phraze, Bethel (Ind.) College’s gospel choir and others.

Odelet Nance, director of the Goshen College Multicultural Affairs Office, is organizing this concert, which is attracting youth groups and college students from across the region. She planned the event to offer expanded styles of worship for the campus and the community. “I really want us to be connected to the community,” she said. “And my hope is that we will encounter the Holy Spirit within our midst during the concert.”

Rosario has a strong commitment and passion for sharing her faith and praising God through music. But over the past few years she has been silent – not because she hasn’t had something to say or sing, but rather because she was literally and physically silenced. Noticing trouble with her voice in late 2002, Rosario was diagnosed in January 2003 with nodules on her vocal chords and had lost function of both her speaking and singing voice. For someone who has been singing all her life this was now more than a challenge – it was a test to the strength of her faith. And though she continues to be on the road to recovery, this body of work, “Now More Than Ever … Worship” is a public declaration of her trial and, importantly, her triumph. Today, Rosario sings praises to God on this album that is all about worship.

As a worship artist and Christian singer/songwriter, Rosario was officially introduced to the world on her 2002 debut release, “More, More, More.” She also continues to serve as national music director of Maranatha World Revival Ministries, a worldwide ministry with more than 300 churches across the globe. Now, with a rejuvenated voice and renewed spirit, Rosario is ready for her return to the music world. She wrote a large portion of her newest album, “Now More Than Ever…Worship” (2005), an open letter to God that is rife with palpable emotions.

The concert is free and open to the public; no tickets needed. It will be followed by a reception.

Editors: For more information about this release or to arrange an interview, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.