Cafe of the Gate of Salvation
gospel choir
Café of the Gate of Salvation – gospel choir
With a dazzling repertoire of sacred music from the African-American gospel and spiritual tradition, their original compositions and traditional arrangements are complex, uplifting, and make for a truly unforgettable live experience.
Founded in Glebe in 1986 by composer, singer and arranger Tony Backhouse, the choir has performed almost continually, appearing twice at Womadelaide, at Hemispheres (Sydney Olympic Arts Festival), the Melbourne International Festival, the World Choral Symposium, for Nelson Mandela’s Australian visit, the Sydney Town Hall and in dozens of venues around Australia. The choir toured the USA in 1999, performing in Black churches in Harlem, Birmingham Alabama and New Orleans, some members staying on to perform at the gospel tent at the New Orleans Jazzfest. They toured New Zealand for the first time in April 2007.
A non-profit association, the choir regularly performs at benefits and donates money to various causes – including giving money to groups and associations in the USA to encourage the recognition of African American traditional gospel.
They have released 3 albums: The Café of the Gate of Salvation (1990), A Window in Heaven (1995) and Deluxe (2005).