Pineville native visiting home with French Gospel Choir

Pineville native and Louisiana College alumnus Scott Sontag is coming home this weekend and bringing with him a gospel choir from France.

The Emmanuel Gospel Choir of Emmanuel International Church in Rueil-Malmaison, a suburb of Paris, over the years has traveled to Italy, Switzerland and England, but Sontag's "dream tour" just this week became a reality.

Their stops include St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and Alexandria, Covington and Mansura.

The Central Louisiana concert will be at 6 p.m. Sunday in the sanctuary of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria where Sontag was a member in the 90s while on staff in the music department at Louisiana College.

Sontag is not the only one who has imagined this day for sometime. The 45 French choir members who were able to come share his excitement too.

"I think they really now can't believe it," he said in a phone interview before the trip. "Some have never been to the U.S."

"The French connection with Louisiana is just amazing. … As soon as I say I'm from Louisiana (the French people's) eyes glaze over. They envision the cotton fields, jazz, swamps. … It just holds that for them."

Sontag, who still has family in the area, had his first connection with Emmanuel International Church when he was fresh out of college. The International Mission Board sent him to serve there, and it was then he fell in love with the country of France.

He stayed there for a couple years, and eventually, returned to teach at Louisiana College where he had graduated in 1980 with a music major and French minor. Church members of Emmanuel kept in touch, and about 15 years ago, the pastor contacted Sontag about an opening they had for a music minister.

Songtag packed his bags and said bonjour to a new life in France.

Emmanuel International is not your average American church. It has members from all over Europe, Asia and Africa.

"It almost looks like heaven," Sontag said. "It's so refreshing."

The gospel choir is just as diverse. Sontag, the piano player, co-founded the choir in 2000 with former director Cecelia Stearman as an outreach to the community.

Within three weeks, 80 people — some of which had never set foot in church — heard about it and wanted to join. Today, it is still composed of both non-Christians and Christians of many denominations.

The French, both religious and nonreligious, love gospel and rhythm music, Songtag said.

"It's a mystery (how) God is using this music," Sontag said. "It touches the person who doesn't even understand English."

Most of the choir's concerts are performed for the Lions Club International, Rotary clubs or to help raise money for charities.

Some of their favorite include "Swingin' With The Saints," "I Love the Lord," "City Called Heaven" and other African-American spirituals.

Sontag expects most churches to be unfamiliar with some of their musical selections but said the whole choir is excited to share them anyway.

"We're gonna show those Americans how to sing gospel music they say in French," he said.

The Emmanuel Gospel Choir will arrive in Alexandria Saturday night and be welcomed by Emmanuel Baptist church members and Mayor Jacques Roy.

Sontag said a special guest from the Pineville side of the river will join their concert Sunday night as well.

"It's going to be a fun cultural exchange," he said.

Know to go

What: Emmanuel Gospel Choir Concert.

When: 6 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Emmanuel Baptist Church, 430 Jackson Street in Alexandria.

Cost: Free.