Voices of Truth Uses Gospel Music to Build Community and Faith

What began as a student-led extension of a university gospel choir has become a traveling ministry of music, blending opera-trained voices, Black sacred tradition and grassroots community outreach under the name Voices of Truth.

Formed at Florida State University in Tallahassee, the ensemble grew from a desire to take gospel music off campus and into churches, care facilities and communities outside of Florida. For its members — many of whom are not music majors and some of whom are new to Black church traditions — the experience has become both performance and formation.

“We decided to form a new ensemble… a community-centered ensemble,” said DaSean Stokes, a second-year doctoral student in classical voice at Florida State. “It really came out of a vision for students traveling, finding different communities, experiencing different worship, meeting new people, going new places.”

Originally from Missouri, Stokes describes himself as an opera tenor with deep ties to church music. His academic path has taken him from Central Methodist University to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and now to Florida State, where he also works in arts administration while pursuing his doctoral degree.

Voices of Truth, he said, is not simply an extension of his academic training; it is a spiritual and cultural practice.

“We’re trying to instill integrity and responsibility,” Stokes said. “We’re using music as a tool… especially gospel music.”

The ensemble has performed in churches, including Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, Mother Bethel AME Church in Philadelphia and Mount Olive in Virginia, as well as at a veterans care facility. Their repertoire spans traditional gospel, spirituals and Black sacred compositions.

Dr. Jeremy Moore,  the ensemble’s director, said the group’s purpose is as much narrative as it is musical. As for the actual tour, he says, the idea came from the students.

 “In 2024, we were invited to be the symphony chorus for the Rogue Valley Symphony in Medford, Oregon,” says Moore, who holds an advanced degree in choral conducting from FSU. “And it was a really seminal moment for us. The gospel choir, I don’t think, had toured ever before at Florida State University. And so it was really kind of encouraging for us to be able to travel and be ambassadors for the university.” 

Once the students had the experience, they made it clear they wanted a repeat opportunity. 

“I like music that is able to not only be good, but to have meaning and to have a message,” Moore said.

For their spring concert, themed “Rain,” Moore created a spiritual arc, acknowledging struggle, endurance and praise. Selections included gospel staples such as “The Storm Is Passing Over” and “I’ll Take Jesus,” along with contemporary works that reflect Black musical expression across generations.

“The story for this tour was one of encouragement,” Moore said. “We’ve been here and we’ve been fighting, but God has got us.”

The ensemble’s approach reflects a broader tradition in Black sacred music, linking spirituals, gospel, jazz and classical influences into a continuous cultural line. Moore said that continuity is intentional.

“We want to spread really good gospel music around the country,” he said.

Beyond repertoire, Voices of Truth is also navigating questions of access and cultural familiarity. Many of the students, Moore noted, are learning the rhythmic and expressive traditions that shape gospel performance.

“Some students read music, some students don’t,” Moore said. “Some come from a gospel background, some don’t.”

That difference becomes especially visible in movement and rhythm — elements often assumed rather than taught in Black church spaces.

“It’s polyrhythms, it’s syncopation,” Stokes said. “If you don’t have that exposure, it’s a lot to put together.”

Still, both leaders emphasize inclusion. 

At Alfred Street Baptist Church, Moore recalled a congregant saying she was “not expecting this,” referring to the racially mixed ensemble. For him, that moment reflected gospel music’s broader theological claim.

“At the end of the day, we have to realize that God is God of all,” he said. “That’s what heaven is going to look like.”

The ensemble’s mission also extends beyond performance into education and outreach. Stokes said future plans include expanding into high schools and community programs.

“That’s something we’re trying to work on this year,” he said.

Funding for the group is largely grassroots. The ensemble received partial support from Florida State’s Congress of Graduate Students but relied heavily on donations from churches, family members, friends and small-dollar community contributions.

“We started with $251.50,” Stokes said. “But it was more than zero.”

He described a patchwork of financial support that included $5 and $20 gifts, snack sales, and anonymous donations, all helping cover travel costs such as fuel for long-distance touring.

“One dollar adds up just as much,” he said. “It’s the power of community.”

Moore said that the model of support reflects the same values embedded in the music itself.

“People want to help each other,” he said. “Sometimes that gets lost, but we saw it on this tour.”

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