Gospelkollektiv_NRW | Ruhrfestspiele 2025

The Gospelkollektiv_NRW, founded in 2022 by singer Mara Minjoli and pianist Lukasz Flakus, combines modern gospel music with expressive and musical intensity. The two artists met while studying jazz at the Folkwang University of the Arts. Inspired by the special power of this musical form, they decided to create a professional ensemble and recruited singers from all over North Rhine-Westphalia for the project, with whom they have been performing in various formations ever since. United by their shared enthusiasm for gospel singing, which is characterized by deep emotion and spiritual meaning, the ensemble develops powerful melodies, complex harmonies and strong rhythms. The repertoire includes modern pieces by Kirk Franklin and the Sunday Service Collective. At the Ruhrfestspiele in the Christuskirche, the audience can expect a special concert experience that makes the unifying power of gospel music impressively tangible.