Sweet Honey in the Rock Captivates Trinity

On Saturday, April 13, Sweet Honey in the Rock captivated a packed Trinity Church with a stunning and sensational concert. Our own Choir of Men & Boys and Choir of Adults & Girls opened the concert with three pieces—"Wondrous Love" arranged by Paul Christiansen, "The Road Home" by Stephen Paulus, and "Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal" By Alice Parker. Director of Music Walden Moore called particular attention to Parker, who died last December after a trailblazing career in the world of women composers.

Sweet Honey sang two sets of songs that included their own staples (like "Ella's Song" and "I'm Gon' Stand"), arrangements of other well-known classics like "Feeling Good," and newer compositions that explored contemporary issues—race, gender, war and peace. Before their finale, the group celebrated their fiftieth anniversary while also paying tribute to Walden Moore's 40 years of dedicated service to Trinity. "I honestly could not listen to the fantastic repertoire given the heat of the moment," says Legacy Committee Co-Chair Duo Dickinson, "but the joy on Walden's face seeing Sweet Honey's performance was transcending."

Originally planned for the spring of 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic, this concert became one of the core events celebrating Walden’s legacy. “We had a record crowd of over 500 people honor Walden and over 100 people who have donated to Trinity’s music program through the Doing a Walden Campaign,” says Dickinson. “Costs and revenues are virtually at a break-even level which was an ambitious goal without any concert sponsors. The performers were ecstatic with our accommodation and the outcome, and over half the audience were completely new to experiencing Trinity’s beauty and welcome—a fully great event!”