Brixton Chamber Orchestra stages Gospel Orchestrated in Streatham with Lurine Cato on 17 October 2026

# What the event is

Brixton Chamber Orchestra presents Gospel Orchestrated on Saturday 17 October 2026 at Streatham Hill Theatre / Ruach City Church (110 Streatham Hill, London SW2 4RD). The concert is billed as a major celebration of gospel music for Streatham Festival and Black History Month.

# Who performs

• Lurine Cato MBE, MOBO Award-winning gospel singer, headlines the evening.
• Isaiah Raymond Dyer (founder of Raymond & Co and Isaiah-Raymond & Friends) joins as a featured artist.
• Choir, directed by Lascelles Haughton, supplies massed choir voices.

# What the programme covers

The evening moves through old-school and classic gospel, contemporary gospel, and newly written material. Arrangements are credited to named UK gospel composers and producers including Nicky Brown, Ian Oakley, Alex Douglas, and BCO's 2026 in-house composer Blasio Kavuma.

Four winning new works—submitted in a summer competition—will be presented in full orchestral and choral arrangements. The composers whose pieces were selected are Kwasi Effah, Rachel Huggins, Rowlando Morgan and DuBetter.

# Why this matters locally

The concert frames gospel as a living musical tradition shaped by faith, migration, resistance and joy, and highlights gospel's influence across African, Caribbean, British and American cultures. Presenting gospel with a full orchestra and massed choir aims to foreground gospel as communal, participatory music rather than a primarily studio or church-only form.

# Brixton Chamber Orchestra's context and approach

Gospel Orchestrated applies that community-first approach to a music tradition designed to be shared: massed voices, choir, band and full orchestra in one programme.

# Practical takeaways for readers

• Date and venue: 17 October 2026, Streatham Hill Theatre / Ruach City Church, London SW2.
• Headliners: Lurine Cato MBE and Isaiah Raymond Dyer, with the College of Gospel Choir and a 40-piece Brixton Chamber Orchestra.
• Programme highlights: classic and contemporary gospel, new works by four competition winners, arrangements by established UK gospel arrangers and BCO's in-house composer.

# Closing note

The event links BCO's community-driven mission with gospel's communal nature, delivering orchestral scale to a repertoire that is historically public-facing and collective. It positions new writing alongside established repertoire to both honor tradition and introduce fresh voices.