The CMI Story

Extra Ordinary is common for these Ordinary People

Just ordinary people
God uses ordinary people
He uses people who are willing
to do what He commands.
For little becomes much
when you place it in the Master's Hand.

It was a hot summer day in July, 1972. Nearly 100 singers, musicians, dancers and production specialists combined their talents in the parking lot of a church in a modest neighborhood in Detroit and led the hundreds in the audience in a spectacular 2-hour Freedom Celebration.

Somewhere down deep in the very soul of every participant an unquenchable spark was ignited. The idea was born that day which would spread like a wild fire, and would make an impact on the entire world.

Never in their wildest imagination could anyone in that parking lot have imagined where the idea of "taking music to our world" would lead.

Here are just a few of the highlights of 40 consecutive years of making beautiful music for tens of thousands of people:

• 3 world trips
• 1st ever performance by a Gospel group in the Kremlin in Russia
• 4 major performances at the request of the Mayor of Jerusalem to help celebrate their 3000th Anniversary
• 3 made-for-television specials now running annually during the Christmas season on several networks
• The last Christmas Celebration in the city band shell in Bethlehem
• 6 major full length musicals created, recorded and published in their entirety and released world-wide
• Festival of Praise, performing in nearly every state and Canada during a 10 year period with more than a thousand members in the cast
• Sister choirs in Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Missouri, Illinois, New York and New Jersey
• Over 100 performances of "Alleluia" written by Bill & Gloria Gaither
• Performances on major television shows including the 700 Club
• Standing-Room-Only at their Christmas Spectacular in major venues across Michigan and Ohio each year.

Who are these people and are they not professionals or music majors or well-known recording artists? Actually, their story is even more amazing because they are just ordinary people. But, never assume they are not special.

They are committed to excellence
They are focused on the task
They are given to personal sacrifice
They have fire in their bellies
They have a twinkle in their eyes
They have joy that explodes when they sing and play and dance
They have a passion to please God
They will not be denied
They will not be detoured
They will do whatever it takes to take music to their world.

Here are just a few of the highlights of over 40 consecutive years of making beautiful music for tens of thousands of people:

They are the CMI Concert Choir, Rick Everitt and the Orchestra, the Thurlow Spurr Singers, The Brotherhood, The Kidz, The Four Divas, The CMI GIRLZ and the BOYZ along with the featured soloists and a crew of talented sound and lighting specialists, costume designers, set builders and special effects coordinators.