Guest Artist Bio
Northwest Community Gospel Chorus
The Northwest Community Gospel Chorus celebrates another special holiday concert season with the Oregon Symphony, under the direction of the renowned Charles Floyd. This will be the ninth year of Gospel Christmas, first presented in 1999.
The Chorus includes members from the Gospel Music Workshop of America (Portland/Vancouver Chapter), local ministries of more than 40 places of worship and professional music organizations. New members are added each year and members leave and return as their schedules permit. This year as in years past, two original members are returning from Texas and Mississippi to join in the celebration.
Gospel music is “Good News”, a Joyful Noise, and Heritage Art Form. Over the years it has captured the heart of vast audiences across the nation. The local audiences also have continued to grow and support this concert series. Some of the venues where this music has been performed by members of the Northwest Community Gospel Chorus include the Oregon Symphony in the Neighborhoods park concerts, AM Northwest, Kink FM 102 and the Light a Fire event hosted by the Portland Monthly Magazine.
The excitement is mounting as the Chorus again prepares songs of incredible and worshipful praise and joins the Oregon Symphony for Gospel Christmas 2007.
Allen Temple CME Church
Augustana Lutheran Church
Bethel AME Church
Community AME Zion Church, Vancouver, Wash.
Daniels Memorial COGIC
Destiny Ministries International Church
Disciples in Song
East Hill Foursquare Fellowship
Emmanuel COGICU
Emmanuel Temple Full Gospel Pentecostal Church
Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church
Imago Dei Community Fellowship
Journey Christian Church, Walla Walla, Wash.
Maranatha Church of God
Mt. Olivet Baptist Church
Neighborhood Church of God
New Hope Community Church
New Hope Missionary Baptist Church
New Life Tabernacle, COGIC, Kingwood, Tex.
New Song Community Church
Northeast Community Foursquare Fellowship
Portland/Vancouver Chapter, GMWA
Prince of Life Lutheran Church
Red Sea Community Church
Rehoboth World Healing Center
Remember The Hope Christian Fellowship
St. Andrews Catholic Church
St. Cecilia Catholic Church
St. Paul Baptist Church
Sanya International Ministry
Sharon Seventh Day Adventist Church
Solid Rock COGIC
South Lake Foursquare Fellowship, Lake Oswego, Ore.
Southridge Foursquare Fellowship, Lake Oswego, Ore.
Temple Beth Israel
The Church Without Walls
The International Family Fellowship
Trinity COGIC
True Life Foursquare Fellowship
True Vine Home Ministries
Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church
Gary L. Hemenway
Gary Hemenway is the Senior Leader of Journey Church in Walla Walla, Wash. Prior to moving to Walla Walla, in 2004, he was the Worship Pastor at New Song Community Church in Portland and has led worship throughout the U.S. and overseas in a wide variety of settings and denominations for the better part of 25 years.
Raised in the small Eastern Oregon town of Pilot Rock, Hemenway found an early interest (largely due to his parents influence and AM radio) in a wide variety of musical styles. As a pre-teen he was captured by the sounds of Andre’ Crouch and the Disciples, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Chicago, and The Temptations. This led to an increased interest in Jazz, R&B, Soul, and Gospel. Ultimately, he decided to pursue this attraction by studying commercial music at Warner Pacific College in Portland.
Hemenway’s professional credits include: soundtrack, production, direction, composing/arranging and live performance work for Nike, Avia, Weiden & Kennedy, Newton & Bard Studios, Will Vinton Studios, Scream Music, Kung Fu Bakery Studios, Portland Rose Festival, Oregon Symphony (David Byrne & Gospel Christmas), Dr. Charles Floyd, The Home Shopping Network, Northstar Studios, Baskerville Recording, Novum Chamber Singers, Billy Graham Crusades, George Fox University, Vineyard Music Group, Tower of Power horns, Graham Lear, Mark Schulman, Gary Hobbs, Michael Lewis, Christ Kent, The Heritage Singers, and many others.
His work has appeared throughout the world in Nike & Avia videos and at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Hemenway has written and arranged numerous vocal and instrumental pieces and has three recordings of his original compositions and arrangements. Because of his musical diversity and abilities he regularly enjoys working with schools, colleges and churches as a guest musician, clinician and director.
Hemenway and his wife Lauren live in Walla Walla with their three daughters Sarah, Olivia, and Amelia.