Harvest Church hosts renowned a cappella group

Published 8:23 pm Thursday, December 14, 2017

 

Fifteen voices sing in perfect harmony. It’s no easy feat, but that’s what Voices of Lee will bring to the Harvest Church stage in Washington on Sunday.

The group hails from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, but these singers are on the road for most of the year: performing at the great cathedrals of Europe, the White House. They sang backup for Rascal Flatts on last year’s Country Music Association’s Christmas special; next May, they’ll be on the stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Known for applying their lush, vocal harmonies to contemporary worship music, Voices of Lee is in great demand.

It’s only because of cancellation in their current tour that they’ll be performing in Washington, according to Harvest Church’s worship pastor Treva Tankard. In June, she reached out to Voices of Lee to ask about a Washington concert after seeing a viral video of the group on social media, only to be told they were booked solid. But a few weeks ago, that changed and tour organizers reached back out to her.

“Musically speaking, they are top notch. We’re just excited to have them come,” Tankard said.

Tankard said the church tries to bring in performances and speakers that normally would perform at larger venues, in larger cities, elsewhere. And the Harvest Church facility is a big draw, she said.

“The facility lends itself to groups that want good audio and lighting and all that,” Tankard said. “We seat about 525 (people). It’s nice to have the opportunity to bring quality musical performances here.”

Voices of Lee will be performing a Christmas concert, but will sing favorites such as “No Longer Slaves” and “What A Beautiful Name.”

“All the arrangements are done by their director, and they are intricate,” Tankard said. “They are just great. You’ve got to have a great voice to get into this group.”

There is no admission fee for the Sunday night concert, but a love offering will be taken up. Tankard said they are expecting a large crowd for the concert. The concert starts at 6:30 p.m., but doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

“We encourage people to come early to get a seat,” Tankard said.

Harvest Church is located at 2020 W. 15th St., Washington.