Kent Stevenson
Composer & Creative Director
The Story
An elder statesman's masterwork, sung for years but never written down in full.
Kent Stevenson wrote The Gospel Magnificat as a deliberate answer to J.S. Bach — a setting of Mary's canticle rooted in Black Catholic worship and gospel-jazz harmony, first brought to life at Seattle's St. Therese Parish with the Shades of Praise choir. It has been performed, loved, and passed along largely by ear ever since.
That oral tradition is a gift and a risk. Without a fully engraved score, the piece exists only where Kent's own memory and a handful of choral parts can reach. This project puts The Gospel Magnificat onto paper for good: transcribed movement by movement, checked against Kent's ear for every jazz harmony and improvisational turn, and reviewed by an editor before it is ever printed.
The result is a work choirs anywhere — parish, university, or community — can rehearse from a clean, professionally typeset score, with piano reduction and chord symbols that serve classical pianists and jazz musicians alike.
"Preserving Black sacred music on paper is not a nostalgic act — it's how a tradition earns a future."
— Reflected in the project's endorsement letters from Pacific Northwest liturgical leaders
