BALTIMORE SUN JANUARY 13, 2006
By Bradley Olson, sun reporter
For the sixth year in a row, the U.S. Naval Academy's Gospel Choir will sing at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, the national historic site where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., his father and grandfather were pastors.
The choir, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, makes an annual tour to Georgia for the holiday weekend celebrating King's life, stopping at high schools and churches to sing and answer questions about the Naval Academy for prospective applicants.
About 60 midshipmen make up the choir, which includes men and women, and it is directed by Dr. Joyce Garrett of Kinston, N.C.
Garrett, who has directed the choir since 1990, is well known from her 27-year career with the Eastern High School choir in Washington.
Gerald Triplett, 25, a senior midshipman from Baton Rouge, La., said he has been so involved in the gospel choir that he hasn't participated in many other extracurricular activities at the academy.
"Music is my passion, so this has kind of taken up a lot of my time," said Triplett, a tenor, who said he also enjoys speaking to potential recruits at the choir's various in-state and out-of-state performances. "It's a military school, but we also have a good time."
Benita Williams, 20, a senior midshipman from Tempe, Ariz. and president of the gospel choir, said: "I love it. I love the music, and I love the people we get to work with and be with when we go on these trips. And Dr. Garrett is just amazing."
The Ebenezer performance is at 1 p.m. tomorrow. The choir will sing gospel hymns and spirituals including "In This Place," "A Lifestyle of Worship," "Jesus Is a Rock" and "Down by the Riverside."