Voices of Appalachia to present I Will Rise concerts in West Union

A choir that started with 26 singers and grew to more than 40 brought its spring program to West Union First Presbyterian Church, turning a free weekend concert into a local showcase of Appalachian music, regional collaboration and resilience.

Voices of Appalachia presented its fourth concert under the title I Will Rise, with performances scheduled for Saturday, April 11 at 3 p.m. and Sunday, April 12 at 6 p.m. Doors opened 30 minutes before each performance, and admission was free. The group’s growth has given the ensemble a larger sound and a wider reach across the region, while director Brandon Stroup has continued pushing the singers toward a higher standard with each performance.

That ambition shaped a program built around hope, perseverance and community connection. Stroup has said the group keeps raising its own baseline, treating each new level of achievement as the starting point for the next one. In practical terms, that meant a 12-song set designed to give singers and listeners something both familiar and timely, especially as many people are carrying personal and social strain.

The concert blended Appalachian standards with broader spiritual and folk traditions. The lineup included Poor Wayfaring Stranger, Will the Circle Be Unbroken and I’ll Fly Away, along with River in Judea, Walk in Jerusalem and the title selection I Will Rise. The opening number, Tshtsholoza, a South African traditional song about perseverance, brought local percussionist Brian Meyer into the program and set the tone for a concert centered on endurance rather than spectacle.

Voices of Appalachia also again worked with a Cincinnati-based string quartet that has appeared in every concert the group has presented so far. On several Appalachian selections, a bluegrass band added fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and upright bass, giving the program a sound that tied the church setting to the region’s musical roots. For Adams County, the concert offered more than an evening of singing. It reflected the county’s continuing appetite for volunteer-driven arts, shared public spaces and performances that connect cultural memory with present-day realities.