Gospel Music Workshop of America is an international music convention founded by Rev. James Cleveland.
GMWA membership
Current board members
Bishop Albert L. Jamison Sr., Chair, Board of Directors
Bishop Brian Moore, Executive Vice Chair
Dr. Rodena Preston, Director of Operations
Ms. JeJuan Ford, Secretary
Dr. Kevin Bond, Treasurer
Mrs. Audrey Howard-Harris, Chair, Finance
Mr. James D. Robinson Jr. Co-Vice Chair, Development
Mr. Ron Magnus, Esq., Legal Counsel
Rev. Isaac Whittman, Vice Chair, Men's Department
Mr. Steven Roberts, James Cleveland Chorus, Mass Choir
Elder Isadore Jackson, Contemporary Adults
Minister Craig Hayes, Youth/Young Adult
Dr. Charles Reese, Dean, Academic Department
Mr. James Ford, Ushers & Nurses
Mrs. Shirley M.K. Berkeley, Co-Vice Chair, Women
Ms. Merdean Fielding Gales, Youth/ Young Adults
Dr. Joan Hillsman, Collegiate Night
Bishop Richard "Mr. Clean" White, Co-Chair, Men's Department
Sylvester Starks, Ph.D, Finance
Bishop Sam Williams, Co-Vice Chair, Security
Dr. Melvin Von Wade Sr., Co-Vice Chair, Men
Active GMWA Membership ranges from professional and amateur Gospel vocalists to instrumentalists, composers, arrangers, directors and producers, and the like. According to its official website, approximately 75% of the music on Billboard's Gospel Charts is written, arranged, produced, or performed by GMWA members. The GMWA also has chapters in the United States, United Kingdom, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.
GMWA conventions and recordings
The GMWA presently meets twice a year. A board meeting is held in the spring and the annual convention session is held at a major venue beginning on the second Sunday of August. The conventions include workshops and musical performances during the week and attract 12,000 to 15,000 registrants annually. A mass choir of 2,000 to 3,000 vocalists is formed at each GMWA convention, and each year a new recording is produced. GMWA offshoots who also record include GMWA Women of Worship, GMWA Men of Promise, and the GMWA Youth Mass Choir.
The first GMWA convention was held in Detroit, Michigan in 1968 at King Solomon Baptist Church. Approximately 3,000 delegates attended. The most recent GMWA convention was held in Birmingham, Alabama in 2016 at the Sheraton Hotel. Approximately 12,000 delegates attended. In 2017, the Board Meeting will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada and the 50th Annual Session was held July 22–29, 2017 in Atlanta, Ga
