Berklee Africana Studies Hosts Gospel Extravaganza 2026

Berklee Africana Studies Hosts Gospel Extravaganza 2026 The Signature Series event will honor three new inductees to the Berklee Gospel Hall of Fame and celebrate the gospel music tradition at Berklee.

April 23, 2026

By

Daniel Pesquera

Students performed at the Gospel Extravaganza at the Berklee Performance Center on May 1, 2025.

Elizabeth Friar

Dr. Nia Allen BM '04 will be inducted into the Berklee Gospel Music Hall of Fame at Gospel Extravaganza 2026.

Image courtesy of the artist

Ricky Dillard will be inducted into the Berklee Gospel Music Hall of Fame at Gospel Extravaganza 2026.

Image courtesy of the artist

Don Jackson will be inducted into the Berklee Gospel Music Hall of Fame at Gospel Extravaganza 2026.

Image courtesy of the aritst

The Africana Studies Division at Berklee will present the Signature Series concert Gospel Extravaganza 2026 on Friday, May 1, at 8:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center. Celebrating its fourth year, the one-night event brings together internationally recognized artists, industry leaders, scholars, and students to commemorate gospel music's enduring legacy within the African Diaspora through live performance, induction ceremonies, and communal reflection.

The event features live performances from Berklee's Reverence Gospel Ensemble and Overjoyed Gospel Ensemble, led by Dennis Montgomery as music director with Meachum Clarke as assistant instructor for the Reverence Gospel Ensemble and Jerome Kyles as assistant instructor for the Overjoyed Ensemble.

This year's Gospel Extravaganza is a powerful affirmation of gospel music as both a sacred art and a cultural force grounded in resilience, faith, communal memory, and liberation, says Emmett G. Price III, founding dean of the Africana Studies Division. The Extravaganza is a singular event showcasing the otherworldly talent of the students who represent the next generation of gospel artists, while also honoring the achievements of our exceptional Gospel Hall of Fame inductees, whose work has shaped the global gospel landscape.

Gospel Extravaganza 2026 will honor the fourth cohort of inductees to the Berklee Gospel Music Hall of Fame, which recognizes artists, community members, and alumni who have made a lasting impact on Gospel music and culture. This year's honorees are Dr. Nia Allen BM '04, a Berklee alumna and an internationally recognized contemporary gospel artist known for her breakthrough hit I'm In Love; Ricky Dillard, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, vocalist, and choir director who founded the New Generation Chorale; and Don Jackson, founder and CEO of Central City Productions and the creator and executive producer of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards.

I'm deeply honored to be recognized by my alma mater and inducted into the Berklee Gospel Music Hall of Fame by the Africana Studies division, said Allen. Berklee shaped not only my musicianship but also my understanding of the power of gospel music to uplift, unite, and inspire. This is truly a full circle moment, and I am beyond grateful!

Past recipients include Bishop Hezekiah Walker, a two-time Grammy Award-winning gospel singer, composer, and choir leader; Dr. Judith Christie McAllister, a Grammy-nominated choir director, songwriter, and producer; Dr. Lenora Helm Hammonds '82, dean of the Professional Education Division at Berklee; Dr. Teresa Jackson, a scholar, historian, journalist, and pioneer in the field of gospel music and ministry; voice professor Jerome Kyles, who served two decades as the minister of music at Morning Star Baptist Church in Boston; and Major Johnson-Finley BM '06 (also known as MAJOR), who was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for his song HONEST in 2018.

The Signature Series concert is produced by Price; Montgomery, a professor in the Ensemble Department and a 2023 Berklee Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee; and Tracy Gibbs, director of operations and programs for Africana Studies.

Admission is $15-$20 in advance and $20-$25 the day of the show with discounted admission for Berklee students. Tickets are available online and at the Berklee Performance Center box office, located at 136 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston.

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