North Carolina A&T Fellowship Gospel Choir, which has won numerous national awards, is making its first trip to the East End of Long Island on Saturday to benefit the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center.
The youth ensemble, from A&T State University, will perform at Community Baptist Church in Southampton Village. The choir was organized in 1969 by Albert Smith, the director of athletics at A&T State University, and Vernon Hatley, the president of the Baptist Student Union. According to the center, the choir was conceived as an avenue for A&T students to maintain continuity with the black religious experience.
"Its aim was to keep alive those religious traditions that are our heritage and those that have been the lifeblood of our people since their arrival on America’s humble shores to the present time," the center stated. "The contention was that ours is a rich and sacred heritage, which is and has been most profoundly expressed in our music: the spirituals and the gospels."
Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center provides after-school and summer camp programs for children from families who otherwise could not afford it.
Doors open at 5 p.m. at Community Baptist Church on Plant Street in Southampton Village, and the showtime is 5:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $20, available by calling 631-537-0616 for a reservation. At the door, tickets are $30.