The New Hope Baptist Church Mass Choir of Birmingham was recently named the top choir in the nation at the Sound Awards in Dallas.
“This choir is magnificent,” said the Rev. Gregory L. Clarke, pastor of New Hope Baptist for 38 years.
Judges watched performances by nominated church choirs from across the country.“
The Sound Awards contacted us,” Clarke said. “There were about 30 choirs nationally.”
The church chartered a bus to send the choir to Dallas for the Feb. 28 Sound Awards ceremony at Grace Cathedral Church of God in Christ.
“We didn’t know who was going to win it, but we knew we were in the top five,” Clarke said.
“We’re so grateful,” said Mike Mays, choir director at New Hope Baptist, which has about 40 to 50 singers in its mass choir.
The Sound Awards began in 2023 in Lafayette, La., and will be held in Birmingham next year, although the date and exact location haven’t been announced yet, Mays said.
It’s not the first time New Hope Baptist Church has been recognized as a top choir.
In 1996, The Birmingham News asked a group of 12 panelists chosen for their exposure to a variety of gospel choirs to pick the best choirs in the Birmingham area. Those surveyed were allowed to name five churches each.
New Hope Baptist Church was named Birmingham’s top church choir in that survey. The quantity of high-quality gospel singing in churches allows Birmingham to stake a claim as a premier home of mass choir gospel music, along with cities such as Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia.