Hallelujah! As artistic associate of the London Symphony Orchestra, the renowned African-American choral conductor and educator Dr. André J. Thomas specializes in blowing the roof off that brutalist City of London cultural citadel the Barbican. Joining the instrumental virtuosi is a vocal battalion that augments the London Symphony Chorus with the three-dozen dedicated professionals of the multiethnic Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir plus the 250-member LSO Community Voices, an annually assembled cohort open to all, no prior experience required. “Gospel music does not apologize,” says Thomas. “It comes straight out, fiery and quick. It’s like lighting a firecracker—you start with a sizzle and that’s it.” —Matthew Gurewitsch