Seventeen family members to appear in concert at Chapel Restoration
Cold Spring’s stately historic chapel overlooking the Hudson River will be bursting with gospel music, African-American spirituals and jazz on Sunday, July 22, at 4 p.m. with a premier performance by the Brown Family Singers.
Earl Brown, director of Brown Family Singers, is director emeritus of Bedford, N.Y.’s Antioch Baptist Church choirs, which he led for more than 50 years. A U.S. Navy veteran and former student of the Navy School of Music in Washington, D.C., he is head of the Brown clan and will be joined by his daughters, son, in-laws, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, some of whom are also members of the Antioch choirs.
Among the 17 family members who will appear are Earlena B. Thevenin (Green) and Gwendolyn Brown-Murray. Earlena, who has a B.S. in music education and master’s degrees in special education and school administration, is director of music at Antioch. She is also fine arts coordinator for East Ramapo Schools, where she has taught music for more than 30 years. Gwendolyn is pianist and assistant director of music at Antioch. She is an infant and toddler specialist for the Early Care and Learning Center of New York State, and coordinator of special needs services for Child Care Resources of Rockland.
“We have enjoyed many years of making music together,” Brown says of his family. “In these turbulent times we can escape to a place of peace and comfort, while having a lot of fun!”
The Chapel Restoration is at 45 Market St. in Cold Spring, and free parking is available on weekends at the adjacent Metro-North Station.
This concert is made possible, in part, by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the State Legislature and public funds from Putnam County, grants managed and monitored by Putnam Arts Council. Admission is free; contributions from the public are welcome.
