By Abigail Koenig
Peace, Be Still is Concordia’s gospel ensemble led by 4th year student Qwame Martin started late last fall semester.
“The music happens when you take your eyes off the paper and you actually feel the music, and be in sync with the people around you,” said Martin.
Martin is double majoring in psychology and Spanish. He is current a member of Chapel Choir and had grown up singing in church, which inspired him to bring education andrepresentation of gospel to campus.
He mentioned Eugene Rogers working with the program for the 24-25 Masterworks concert being hugely inspiring for him.
Martin also emphasized the importance of shedding light on this genre of music and making it accessible to all while upholding the traditions of the art form.
“Gospel has always been on the forefront in the black church, condemning actions of hate and condemning actions of judgement and things of that nature,” said Martin.
Layne Polen is a 2nd year at Concordia who sings in Chapel Choir. They sing primarily alto, and helped Martin build the gospel ensemble.
Polen has always enjoyed gospel music and grew up singing in church choirs. With Peace, Be Still, they’ve found another outlet to use their voice.
“Something that Qwame told us at the beginning of the year is that he didn’t pick us because we were the best singers, but because of our ideals, what we believe in, and what we bring as a person,” said Polen, “And I think that really encapsulates what he created with Peace, Be Still.”
The group quickly gained traction across the community and has received lots of attention from students and staff.
The ensemble’s namesake was chosen by Martin and comes from a biblical verse in which Jesus’ disciples were caught in a terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee, leading Jesus to command the wind and seas to cease their chaos. The story demonstrates Jesus’ power and authority to calm all of life’s storms, whether physical or marked by inner turmoil.
The group meets once a week on Tuesday nights for two to three hours. So far, they’ve partnered with Chapel Choir and Kantorei, and performed at services such as the on-campus chapel.
