This December, the Anderson Center will welcome the Kingdom Choir — a group of London-based singers led by founder, conductor and gospel tutor Karen Muriel Cecile Gibson, also known as “Britain’s Godmother of Gospel.”

The tour, titled “A Kingdom Christmas,” is a North American-based tour. Binghamton is their second-to-last stop on a cross-continent journey from Los Angeles to Montreal to New York.

The Kingdom Choir has been traveling around the world for over 20 years, becoming known for their warm performances and impressive sound. They have been featured on BBC, CNN, ITV Good Morning Britain, ABC Good Morning America and Reuters TV, and have been highly sought out by other artists for collaboration. When performing, the group wants to emphasize unity within the British Gospel community while sharing their voices.

The Kingdom Choir had a show-stopping performance of “Stand by Me” that was broadcast worldwide during the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 and has been drawing in audiences since. The concert they will bring to Binghamton will consist of Christmas classics, like “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and “O Come All Ye Faithful,” as well as their original renditions of traditional gospel classics.

“All art is incredibly important to us as humans,” Gibson wrote in an email. “However, there is something about the music, particularly the singing voice that is so immediate. The voice is our instrument and with it we communicate, connect and articulate in an instant.”

The Kingdom Choir is particularly dedicated to sharing the gospel, with a focus on the good in the world all while spreading the magic of music. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when they had to take a break from live performances, the Kingdom Choir turned to social media to share their music and accumulated thousands of likes, all to emphasize the power of music in times of need.

The Kingdom Choir also loves to see audience participation and wants to see attendees getting involved and feeling touched by the music during the performance.

“Music connects us together,” Gibson wrote. “When we sing or enjoy music together, something changes amongst us. The shared experience of music is more important than we know. I have watched choirs become family, young children learn a sense of self-esteem and joy through singing.”

The Kingdom Choir is set to perform on Dec. 14. Tickets can be purchased on the Anderson Center’s website. Student tickets are discounted at $10.