The pews were filled to the last seat, many people standing, and dozens more following it via streaming. On 2 April, the Baptist church on Calle Quart provided the setting for a musical project that had been taking shape for months.

Valencia has the international campus of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston (USA). The free open-air concerts given by its students at the iconic City of Arts and Sciences are well known in the Spanish city.

Right there, next to the Valencia opera house, dozens of artists from all over the world are training to pursue a professional career in rock, jazz, electronic or world music.

Among them is Brittany Kurgat, 31, who arrived from the United States last summer and has been playing bass for a decade. “There is only so much that you can learn about other places from textbooks”, she tells Evangelical Focus for this report, but “it is far more valuable to immerse yourself in person to connect with the people”.

An idea born of connections between believers

The project ‘Clamo a Dios, al Altísimo’ (I cry out to God, the Most High) began with a personal connection during the autumn between Brittany and Angela Jolley, a member of the Gospel Choir Gloria, a musical initiative that unites churches in Valencia.

“We immediately noticed how the Lord was moving us to look for a common project”, says Sergio Martín, the choir’s director. “Brittany told me that she was thinking of us for her Master’s work”, and from there everything started to happen.

“The collaborations emerged naturally and spontaneously. Gavin Rushing and Auriyan Tillman joined in”, he continues. “They are fellow believers and were 100% involved from the start”.

New friends for a ‘memorable’ project

Gavin is a pianist and at the age of 15 he discovered his passion for the Hammond organ, an evolution of the traditional church organs, a key instrument in gospel music. Also in Valencia to do his Master’s with Berklee, the 25-year-old musician from the state of Georgia enjoys the “peaceful” atmosphere of Valencia, he says.

“Through Gospel Gloria, I have witnessed the power and influence of Gospel music, in another culture. I saw the choir’s commitment to meet every week, unified and singing about Jesus Christ”.

On 2 April, Gavin conducted the choir and the musicians, some from Gloria, others from Berklee, in a particularly complex piece with a frenetic rhythm that the singers learnt at breakneck speed. He remembers well “when I stood in the center of the church, conducting the choir, feeling the support of the audience as they stood, clapped, and praised God alongside us”.

Brittany describes how “amazing” it was to “make music for the Lord with very dear friends”. She will remember the “lasting impact” of a project that also sought to “bring hope back to Valencia especially after the Dana floods”.

The bass player conducted one of the eight new songs in the concert, a piece she composed herself which alternates between very different musical styles. 

Earlier, her friend Auriyan and other Berklee students had opened the recital with a spectacular rendition of the famous spiritual Amazing Grace.

Faith for real life

Throughout its 32 years of existence and hundreds of concerts, Gloria’s gospel choir has recorded four albums, appeared on television, performed all over Spain, received recognition from the authorities, and has also raised awareness against human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

But many of the 60 current members of the project, made up of people from 12 evangelical churches in the Valencia area, are in Gloria because of the communion that arises from the hope of the gospel.

One week after the performance, Sergio was still excited. “From the moment the first notes of music were played, there was a feeling that something very special was in the air. The singers, musicians and audience were totally involved from beginning to end and the emotion was palpable. You could clearly feel the Holy Spirit moving powerfully and touching the hearts of everyone there”.

Brittany identifies completely with it. “This music and these arrangements are not only for musical enjoyment, but it is also to glorify and worship God”.

“Without God, I would not have the opportunity to study at Berklee Valencia. I also would not be the wife, musician, sister, and friend that I am. I am very grateful to God for the courage to create and play music for him and to make the wonderful connections that I have already made”.

In the early stages of the concert, the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Valencia, Pau Grau, briefly addressed the audience to point to the liberating impact of the songs in the Bible (the Psalms). Life’s problems are seen in a different light when they are faced with God, he said.

This spiritual experience is also shared by Gavin, who explains it like this: “I recognize God’s power in my life whenever I create new music. The gift of creation belongs to Him, and He has graciously entrusted it to His musicians and minstrels. I see God’s hand in my life every day that I am blessed to live”.

Brittany goes even further in her own dreams: “My hope and prayer is that my husband and I will be able to live in Spain in the years to come. I also hope to continue to spread my love of Christ while working in the music industry as a musical director, arranger, bass player (for live and studio sessions), and music collaborator throughout Europe and various countries around the world”.

Learning in every sense

For the Valencia Gospel Choir, it has been a privilege to work with the musicians of Berklee. “Their mastery of this musical style is innate and natural. We have been able to delve deeper into the nuances and technical details that make gospel a unique and powerful style for telling the gospel and expressing what the Lord has put in our hearts”.

“The final concert gave us the opportunity to meet other excellent musicians who have listened to us with respect and who have shared their talent generously and with humility. Today we feel that they are part of our family of the Coro Gospel Gloria and we thank God for their lives and talent”, concludes Sergio Martín. “They know they can always count on our prayers and our support”.

Watch the streaming of the “Clamo a tí, al Dios altísimo” of 2 April 2025, in Valencia (sound from minute 23):

More gospel in Valencia

After a few “difficult years following the coronavirus pandemic and after suffering significant changes in the make-up of the choir, now the Lord is showing us paths and doors ahead that fill us with hope and encourage us to move forward with enthusiasm,” say the members of the Gloria Choir.

Seeking “the wisdom of God”, they want to “take steps in the right direction and continue to place Jesus and his liberating message at the centre of all this ministry. We have to shine with His Light both on stage and, above all, within. May God help us to do so with humility, perseverance and excellence”.

The choir has several concerts booked for the rest of 2025 and is committed to composing new original songs for the repertoire. They also dream of future collaborations with Berklee students.

“The important thing is that we feel that God is the one who moves us”, adds director Sergio Martín, “so we continue with enthusiasm and commitment wherever He wants to take us. All glory be to Him”.