Originally distinguished by its performers’ long, purple robes, and spiritual performances, the Furman University Gospel Ensemble, or FUGE, is one of our oldest and most culturally rich campus organizations, holding strong to its basic principles and maintaining a reputation for holding powerful and moving performances.

The club has been around for more than 25 years and bases itself upon the principle of openness. Members said the Gospel Ensemble welcomes all ethnicities and backgrounds and provides an opportunity for students to practice their own beliefs and faith through song.

The club is a diverse group comprised of 25 to 30 different members. In addition to singers, several musicians — including two pianists, two trumpet players, and a drummer — fill out the ensemble

Junior Taylor Mitchell, the club’s president, emphasized the ensemble’s openness and described FUGE as “comprised of a group of multi-cultural students of any race, ethnicity or religion.” He said they are open to anyone who has the desire to sing about the Lord.

No auditions are necessary to become a member of FUGE. Mitchell encouraged campus-wide participation and said open practices are held every Tuesday night, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. For the first 15 to 20 minutes of practice, the members warm up with commonly-sung and widely-known worship songs. For the remainder of the practice, the club works on new material for upcoming church performances and concerts.

The Gospel Ensemble has a strong presence in the community of Greenville, and its members are frequently invited to perform in Sunday worship at nearby churches. The group also takes a very active role in organizing campus events and performances and hosts three campus concerts each year.

Upcoming events include a performance at Furman University’s chapel worship on Sunday, Oct. 20. In addition, the club is hosting an event in Burgiss Theater on Nov. 7 in which they will be collaborating with other religious campus organizations, including Baptist Campus Ministry and Reformed University Fellowship.

The Gospel Ensemble’s first concert of the year will be Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. The annual Gospel Fest in February, which has been held at Furman ten years running, will be FUGE’s second concert. The Gospel Fest brings college choirs from four to five schools from across South Carolina — including Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and Wingate University — to perform together with FUGE. In return, FUGE is also invited to participate in concerts held at each of these schools.

The organization also holds a spring concert on campus for students, traditionally held in April near the end of the semester.

Members also get to take part in a spring break tour, which the club organizes every year. Previous tour destinations include Washington, D.C., Nashville, Memphis, and Dallas, and this year the club plans to embark on a tour through various parts of Alabama and Georgia.

Students interested in joining this organization or just learning more can visit the organization’s Facebook page for a listing of the club events. The club is on Orgsync and also has a Twitter page for interested singers and musicians to follow.

Mitchell reiterated that the group is “always looking for new singers and musicians at any time in the year.”

“We are always looking for diversity of any kind,” he said.