University of Mobile
Ensembles to Perform at White House

Two University of Mobile Center for Performing Arts ensembles have been invited to sing at the White House on Friday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m.

The elite vocal ensemble VOICES of Mobile and UM’s barbershop quartet RamTonz will perform for guests as they tour and view Christmas decorations at the President’s home. This is VOICES of Mobile’s third consecutive year and RamTonz’s second consecutive year to be invited to sing at the White House.

VOICES of Mobile is among the 19 performing ensembles from the University of Mobile's Center for Performing Arts. The 16-member VOICES presents compelling performances of both sacred and secular music in schools and churches, at conferences and civic events. VOICES also participates in CPA events including “Saviour” and the annual “Christmas Spectacular!” Maintaining a highly visible profile and consistent performing schedule is routine for the group, which has toured extensively throughout the southeastern United States and abroad. Ensemble members place a great emphasis on a desire to please the Lord in word and deed, as summarized in the VOICES mission statement: to “Honor the Lord with our Lives and Praise Him with our Voices.”

Members of VOICES of Mobile are James Berrian of Phil Campbell, Ala.; Lydia Bru of Turnerville, Ala.; Kourtney Campbell of Creola, Ala.; Nikki Ellis of Chattanooga, Tenn.; Andrew Goodwin of Delray Beach, Fla.; Jenna Housh of Jacksonville, Fla.; Philip Jewell of Orange Park, Fla.; Scotty Lawrence of Hiram, Ga.; Andrew Lowe of Chattanooga, Tenn.; Brittany Norris of Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Jordan Squires of Semmes, Ala.; Alana Swindler of Lexington, S.C.; Luke Veazey of Montgomery, Ala.; Nick Weaver of Dauphin Island, Ala.; Brandi Withrow of Grand Bay, Ala.; and Maggie Woodlief of Jacksonville, Fla. Audio technician is Anthony Willingham of Glencoe, Ala.

RamTonz, a traditional barbershop quartet, won first place in the 2007 Dixie District College Quartet Finals, part of the annual Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Sing in American, Inc., Dixie District Spring Convention. The group also performs at the University of Mobile Center for Performing Arts’ “Christmas Spectacular!”

Members of RamTonz, who are all also in VOICES, are James Berrian, Scotty Lawrence, Andrew Lowe, and Luke Veazey.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduates and graduate students are enrolled at the University of Mobile, a private Christian university affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention. VOICES of Mobile and RamTonz are part of the university’s Center for Performing Arts under the direction of Roger Breland, a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and founder/director for 31 years of the internationally acclaimed contemporary Christian group Truth.

For more information about the ensembles or the Center for Performing Arts, visit www.umobile.edu or call 1-800-WIN-RAMS, ext. 2420.