Mark your calendars for Sunday, July 26. That weekend, alumni from the Furman University Singers will gather from across the country to share a weekend of music and fellowship that will culminate in morning worship here at First Baptist Greenville. Of the many connections between First Baptist Greenville and the Furman Singers, perhaps the most current is that our own Minister of Music Laura Ritter serves as the president of the Furman Singers Alumni Association.
The Furman Singers, the oldest of Furman University’s choral ensembles, was founded in 1946 by the late DuPre Rhame while he also served as the Minister of Music at First Baptist Greenville. In 1979, DuPre Rhame (retired in 1970) and the conductor of the Furman Singers since 1970, Dr. Bingham Vick Jr., gathered alumni from 1946 until the present time for a weekend of fellowship and music. Rhame died in 1981, but Vick continued the biennial “Furman Singers Reunion” throughout his tenure. Vick retired in 2010, and the Singers’ next conductor, Dr. Hugh Floyd, continued this tradition. After Floyd’s retirement, Dr. Stephen Gusukuma, Director of Choral Activities, took the helm of the Furman Singers. This year marks the 25th biennial reunion, and all three living conductors will be leading the gathered singers. It will be a morning of beautiful music raised in the worship of God. We hope you will join us for this extraordinary morning of worship.
—Kimberly Coates, Music & Worship Ministry Assistant