Huge local gospel music showcase planned for April 26 at the Corbin Arena

Rev. John Burkhart discusses the Corbin Gospel Music Concert that is planned for April 26 at The Arena.

A gospel music extravaganza aimed at showcasing local talent and unifying believers across denominations is set to take place later this month at The Arena in Corbin, and organizers are hoping the event is the beginning of something that will grow exponentially in the future.

The first annual Corbin Gospel Music Concert will take place April 26 beginning at 6:45 p.m. and will end about 9:15 p.m. Organizers held a press conference earlier this month to officially announce the event. It will feature ten groups and individual singers from the area.

Rev. John Burkhart, who recently retired as minister at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Corbin, is one of the principal organizers of the concert. He said it’s planning and purpose has followed several driving principles, including: affordability for everyone, focus on local talent and its focus on being a non-denominational event.

“This effort is to pull us together as one people with one God … So we can have a sense of church unity and enjoy a profound expression musically of singing the gospel,” he said.

“If there is one thing that all Christians need to hang their head in shame about is the fact that we are so separated, we’re so isolated and we are so individualized.”

He called The Arena “neutral ground” and said that by removing it from a church setting it would encourage everyone to attend, even those who normally have very little contact with churches at all.

The Corbin Gospel Music Concert will feature four groups: The Believers Quartet and the Kentucky Mountain Trio along with Josh Teague and Friends and Straight Creek.

Also being showcased will be six other performers: Timothy Maynes, Harlan Sexton and the Gospel Grass, Garey Curton, Peggy Inks, Donna Isaacs and Cara Miller. Each will be allowed five minutes on the main stage to perform.

The event will open with the singing of “God Bless American” by Corbin sixth-grader Abbi Disney.

For the last six years, Burkhart has organized regular gospel jam sessions on weekends in a “barn” near St. John’s and said when he first started the event he didn’t realize how much musical talent there was in the area. Over 150 different individuals and groups have played during the sessions.

The concert is being planned by a committee of people who make a non-profit organization sponsoring it. Janus Jones, Secretary of the concert board and director of programming, said it was tough to have to turn down people who wanted to perform at this inaugural concert.

“I settled it personally with prayer and talking with fellow board members,” Jones said. “We asked six groups to play, four accepted. There were lots of other folks who wanted on the stage. I had them call me up on the phone and they asked if they could get up there.”

“Quite frankly, the talent here is just as good as anyplace else, but it’s never been showcased. It was our dream to showcase that local talent.”

Bob Terrell, who is serving as Vice President of the group, said the idea for the concern was conceived at a local restaurant as a way to utilize The Arena in a way that would be accessible and affordable for everyone.

“We were wanting to have an event in the area every year where we could have it at a price that all of our people could come with their families and enjoy good Christian fellowship together,” Terrell said.

Burkhart said the concert would cost about $7,000 to put on. He said he’s doing his best to contact churches across the area to convince their congregations to attend the show. Special pricing is being offered for groups of 15 or more. Tickets for such groups are only $5 each.

Individual ticket prices are $8. Children under 12 get in free.

Anyone who purchases 15 tickets will be recognized as a Bronze level sponsor in the program. From 25 to 49 tickets earns Silver level sponsorship. Fifty or more tickets will earn a Gold level sponsorship.