Calling themselves, “The Joshua Generation,” Dickson Guillaume and The New York State Haitian Interdenominational Mass Choir (also known as Haitian Mass) have joined the “Friends for Haiti” performers for Brooklynbased nonprofit Community2Community’s (C2C) “Hope and A Future” benefit concert at the Apollo Theater, Jan. 12 – the anniversary of the tragic earthquake that claimed more than 300,000 lives.
An accomplished song writer, drummer and self-taught pianist, Guillaume serves as a minister at Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, N.Y. under the leadership of Pastor Donnie McClurkin.
Twenty years ago, Guillaume was entrusted with the responsibility of gathering a dynamic group of young, talented singers throughout the tri-state creating Haitian Mass. His search was a challenging one.
According to Guillaume, “They had to be on fire for the Lord and share a common cultural bond…that is to be of Haitian descent.” The choir has now grown to include various cultural backgrounds and music styles from Haitian folklore to contemporary and traditional American gospel.
Haitian Mass has attracted the attention of many because their music has been known to encourage the listener to believe in themselves and gain hope in the times that we are living in today. Therefore, it is no surprise that Haitian Mass would contribute its time and talent to the Hope and A Future Benefit concert.
The concert, sponsored by Christian Cultural Center and Determined To Educate, in partnership with The New York Daily News, The Amsterdam News and Positive Community Magazine, will feature an eclectic mix of inspirational, jazz, R&B, Hip-hop, Haitian music, spoken word and dance along with special vignettes spotlighting Haitian culture and history.
Hosted by WLIB/WBLS radio personality Liz Black, the concert will feature performances by Disco Icon, Gloria Gaynor, Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence Dance Company, DJ Hard Hittin’ Harry and The Earthman Experience, Barbara King, Mecca, Curtis Haywood, C3YC, Boots, Thurston Daniel, Yaz Band, Wisdom, Wanda Nash and more.
Produced by Psalmist Productions Inc., special guests include Haitian Consul General Felix Augustin; Mayor of Petit Goave Marc Roland Justal and a delegation from the Petit Goave working community. Proceeds will go towards rebuilding the reservoir into a complete water distribution center that will service the entire village and decrease the surge of water born diseases such as Typhoid and Cholera.
Community2Community (C2C) is a service organization whose focus is helping to build self-sufficient communities world-wide. Their mission is to serve as an umbrella organization working and collaborating with individuals, agencies and other organizations to facilitate broad-based initiatives that mobilize intellectual, financial, and material resources to recovering international communities in a sustained effort to support their transformation into healthier, sustainable, self-sufficient communities.
