The Tutors

Brighton Goes Gospel is very privileged to have three of the most experienced Gospel tutors and performers in the country.

Susan Harriott

Susan Harriott is a professional singer and skilled vocal tutor with over fifteen years of experience in the music business. Susan has worked with some of the UK's best gospel tutors including Karen Gibson, Danny Thomas and Bazil Meade, and has sung with some of the finest artists in the gospel world including Kingdom Choir, the London Community Gospel Choir, Joni Lee and Raymond & Co to name just a few. She has also taught 500-strong choirs in Europe, held gospel workshops in Poland , Italy and France , and sung with the likes of Corinne Bailey Rae, John Legend and Westlife at numerous concerts, festivals and on a wide range of television and radio programmes.

Learning gospel with Susan is both fun and exciting. She builds confidence and pushes boundaries in a safe, creative and encouraging environment, as well as taking an holistic approach to singing by touching on posture, diet and exercise so that the sound produced is the best it can be. A strength of her teaching is the attention she gives to performance skills and choreography, making the experience of learning to sing gospel-style with Susan both exhilarating and fulfilling.

 

Jason Thompson

A gifted pianist who has been playing for 26 years. His other talents include composing, arranging, choir directing, piano tutoring, vocal tutoring, session singing and workshop leading. He currently teaches in two schools as well as running his own music school called the 'Jazz That' Music School. The school will be available for online lessons from December 2008.

Jason has been teaching the piano for over 16 years. He has 100% pass rate for students entered under the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). Due to his 100% pass rate in over 16 years, statistically he is in the top 5 teachers of piano in the United Kingdom. This is according to figures from the ABRSM.

Founded by Jason Thompson, the JT Band has performed all over the country at concerts, conferences, weddings, art galleries ... Able to spice up their sound to the needs of their audiences, the JT Band can play anything from dinner jazz to jazz funk, eighties soul to gospel. For more, visit: myspace.com/jayteeband

His international performances have taken him to places afar a field as France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Spain, Prague, Italy, Poland, Norway, Ukraine, Hungary, Japan, America, St Lucia, Barbados, Jamaica and Ghana.

He was the Musical Director for the national tour of the theatre show 'Lady Day at Emerson's Bar And Grill' A show about the life of Billie Holiday. Jason was also the Musical Director for the theatre show Simply Heavenly, which showed at Trafalgar Studios in London's West End.

Jason has been the Musical Director and accompanist for top UK Gospel artistes such as, Karen Gibson and the Kingdom Choir, Bazil Meade and the London Community Gospel Choir, Sianni, Noel Robinson and Nu Image, Mark Beswick and Power Praise and the GMTV award-winners Blessed Voices and Raymond and Co. He has also accompanied or performed with Liberty X, Corrine Bailey-Rae, Nate James, Shaun Escoffery, Don E, Kelly Le Roc, Carol Thompson, Janet Kay, Caron Wheeler, Rhianne Benson, Patti Boulaye, Sir Cliff Richard, Incognito, Womack and Womack, Ashford and Simpson, Isley Brothers, Gwen Dickey of Rose Royce and is currently the Musical Director for Ruby Turner.

 

Karen Gibson

Our Choir Director Karen Gibson is going to pastures new in the Autumn and sadly won't be BGG's Choir Director for the next workshop. We have had the privilege of working with Karen for four years and very much look forward to working with her again. We wish her the very best of luck and love for her new venture.

One of the country's most noted and experienced gospel tutors, Karen Gibson has been involved with vocal groups, soloists and choirs for over 20 years.

Amongst other projects, Karen runs two gospel choirs, the award-winning Kingdom Choir (www.kingdomchoir.co.uk) and youth choir, UPC. The Kingdom Choir has been one of the most sought after choirs for radio and television work including the BBC's 'Songs of Praise' and has performed with and for many celebrities and dignitaries including Elton John, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Bill Clinton. Their debut album, 'Smile, it's a Brand New Day' is available from Europe 's largest gospel record label, Integrity Music Europe.

For more, visit: www.gospelmatters.com or email enquiries@gospelmatters.com.