Sound of Victory Fellowship Choir makes debut in Brooklyn

Choir Ministers to Young People, Giving Them Family and Purpose

July 10, 2014 By Francesca Norsen-Tate, Religion Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Vincent Bohanan conducts the Sounds of Victory Choir. They will perform on Monday, July 14 at New Life Tabernacle on Bedford Avenue. Photo credit: Melvin Smith

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Young people who have experienced poverty or who feel alienated and rejected in society are turning their lives around and evangelizing to others, thanks to the music ministry of Vincent Bohanan and the Sound of Victory Fellowship Choir.

This choir allows young singers and musicians, predominantly in their twenties, commuting from across the New York City Metropolitan area, to join their voices in the heart of Brooklyn every week. Through their Gospel music, Bohanan and the singers offer a message of hope throughout the city and abroad. They present their Brooklyn debut concert this coming Monday, July 14 at New Life Tabernacle on Bedford Avenue.

Senior director Vincent Bohanan, 24, founded the Sound of Victory Fellowship Choir just six months ago. Bohanan, who nurtured his musical virtuosity as a young child, was fortunate to have been mentored and has developed his credentials into a list of accomplishments with esteemed musical groups. Bohanan, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Five Towns College, has had the opportunities to work with the Institutional Radio Choir, and alongside Vy Higginsen and the Mama Foundation, a highly respected performing arts foundation located in Harlem. He is now branching out and sharing his musical affluence in a fresh, innovative and original way with the birth of The Sound of Victory Fellowship Choir (SOVFC). Bohanan writes all of the choir’s music.

SOVFC was established to help overcome the negative image associated with today’s generation of young adults, and to provide them with the platform and outlet to freely develop and express their musical talents in a positive way. The SOVFC singers come from various demographics and backgrounds. For some, membership in this choir provides the only sense of family and belonging that they have ever experienced. As some of the singers don’t even have a spiritual home, SOVFC provides their only experience of church right now. The choir has enabled them to join together in a Gospel-based, nurturing and musical environment to inspire and empower all people through song.

Outreach and compassion are also at the core of SOVFC’s ministry. Indeed, the ensemble’s first community service event was in line with the Gospel of Matthew 25:36 “I was naked and you clothed me.” SOVFC distributed free clothes and shoes; and of course they ministered through song.

Sound of Victory Fellowship Choir has performed at numerous churches throughout the tri-state area, with choristers sharing the stage with celebrity gospel artists. They can be found on YouTube. And on July 29, the choir has been presented with a rare opportunity to perform at the Gospel Music Workshop of America’s 47th Annual Convention in Atlanta, which will elevate the singers to an exposure they never imagined, placing them near the world of Gospel music’s great most successful insiders.

SOVFC is currently working to raise funds for the travel through a sponsorship program. Sponsorship solicits have already been mailed. While the July 14 concert is free, voluntary donations will be welcome. The concert begins at 7 p.m. at New Life Tabernacle 1476 Bedford Avenue, near Sterling Place, in the eastern portion of Prospect Heights.