N.C. A&T Fellowship Gospel Choir Nominated for Stellar Awards

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 18, 2026) – There’s a reason they’re called the award-winning North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Fellowship Gospel Choir. The choir will have an opportunity to add another honor to its legacy with its nomination for a Stellar Award in the inaugural HBCU Choir of the Year category.

Joining Howard University, the Morgan State University Choir, the Southern University Gospel Choir and the Fort Valley State University Choir as finalists, the award recognizes excellence among historically Black college and university gospel choirs. It will be presented during the 41st Stellar Gospel Music Awards, hosted by Grammy Award-winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin.

For 57 years, the A&T Fellowship Gospel Choir has been a pillar of the university community and a source of inspiration through its commitment to faith, fellowship and musical excellence.

Over the years, the choir has performed alongside acclaimed artists and groups including Fred Hammond, Jason Nelson, Big Sean and Elevation Rhythm, building a reputation as an organization unafraid to boldly express its faith through music.

“This nomination shows that our work isn’t in vain and that we are accomplishing our goal of encouraging people and bringing them closer to Christ,” said Antonio Mattox Jr., choir president and a rising senior. “This recognition has given us a platform to do just that because that’s the entire purpose of our organization.”

Mattox, who has been a member of the choir since his freshman year, served as the narrator for the choir’s rendition of gospel legend Donald Lawrence’s “Matthew 28,” a performance submitted to the Stellar Awards nominating committee that secured the choir’s nomination.

For Marcus Williams ‘17, the choir’s director, this performance reflects both the legacy of the organization, and the talent of its student members.

“It was a song that showcased their vocals. It had some dope moves that the kids created with it, which speaks to our legacy at A&T, and then it also had the choir robes, which just felt nostalgic,” said Williams, who began his journey with the choir as a student drummer.

The nomination represents more than an accolade for the choir. It also is a moment of recognition for HBCU musical traditions and the generations of students who have helped build the Fellowship Gospel Choir’s legacy.

“I really can’t express how big it is, especially for Greensboro, but they’re celebrating and recognizing HBCUs as a whole,” said Williams. “It’s huge, and for the legacy of the choir being recognized, it just speaks of the hard work and innovation that was done over the years.”

The 41^st Stellar Gospel Music Awards will be Aug. 15 in Charlotte, where the winner of the inaugural HBCU Choir of the Year category will be announced.