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Florida college cancels concert because one of the singers is gay

The King's Singers
The King's Singers Photo: Screenshot

The Pensacola Christian College canceled an appearance by the Grammy-winning a cappella group The King’s Singers because one of the singers is gay.

The King’s Singers’ final stop on their tour of the U.S. was supposed to be at the Florida Baptist college this past Saturday night. The six-man group had already led a workshop for students in the afternoon and 5000 people were expected to attend the concert.

But just two hours before they were set to perform, Pensacola Christian College informed The King’s Singers that the concert was canceled due to concerns about a member’s “lifestyle,” the New York Times reports. The college had received complaints from students, parents, and staff who said that allowing a gay person to perform did not align with the school’s values.

“Pensacola Christian College is a religious liberal arts institution founded upon and guided by the Bible, as reflected in our Articles of Faith,” the college said in a statement. “The college cannot knowingly give an implied or direct endorsement of anything that violates the Holy Scripture, the foundation for our sincerely held beliefs.”

“PCC canceled the concert with The King’s Singers upon learning that one of the artists openly maintained a lifestyle that contradicts Scripture,” the statement continued. Two of the members of the group are gay, not one. “The highly talented musicians were treated with dignity and respect when informed of the cancellation.”

The school’s faith statement says that being gay is forbidden and compares same-sex relationships to bestiality and incest.

“We believe that God created man and woman in His image and instituted marriage between one who is genetically male and one who is genetically female,” the school’s faith statement says. “We believe that God has commanded that sexual activity be exclusively reserved to a man and a woman who are legally married to each other; and that Scripture forbids any form of sexual immorality including adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography.”

The King’s Singers said that they were “deeply saddened” in a statement on the cancellation and noted that they had performed at Pensacola Christian College before.

“This is the first time that anything other than bad weather, the pandemic, or war has caused a concert cancellation in our 55-year history,” the statement said. “We are disappointed not to have been able to share our music and our mission of finding harmony with over 4000 students of the college and the wider Pensacola community. We hope that any conversations that follow might encourage a greater sense of love, acceptance, and inclusion.”

Singer Jonathan Howard called the cancelation “really shocking” and “hurtful.” He said that the group had already started warming up for the concert when they were pulled aside by college officials and told the concert was canceled.

The King’s Singers was originally formed in 1968 and named after King’s College in Cambridge, England, where the group first formed. They achieved some mainstream success in the 70s and 80s and appeared on TV shows including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Julie Andrews: The Sound of Christmas, changing members several times since they formed.

In 2009, the group won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album for their album Simple Gifts. In 2012, they won the Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance for their album Light and Gold.

The group will continue their tour in Canada, with stops in Montreal, Toronto, and London.

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