We have completed the final touches on Patrinell: The Total Experience and are planning a year-long film festival run. We are already hearing back from some of the festivals and are thrilled to announce that Patrinell: The Total Experience has been selected as an early entry in the 17th Oakland Film Festival!  The festival isn’t until September so we will have our world premiere before then. … Continue reading Patrinell has been selected for the Oakland International Film Festival

Very interesting article in today’s Seattle Times about the locations the Green Book for black travelers listed in Seattle and around the Pacific Northwest, and how many of those places still exist today: “What Green Book for black travelers said about Seattle” Continue reading From The Seattle Times: Seattle’s Green Book

The Total Experience Gospel Choir recorded the album Lift Him Up in 1979. It was released by Savoy Records, a major record label that specialized in jazz and rhythm and blues, and was “Number One” in gospel music. It was the same label that recorded the Rev. Dr. James Cleveland, the “King of Gospel Music”! Savoy often would take a well-known gospel singer and record … Continue reading “Lift Him Up”

Women of Mt Zion Baptist Church made the news yesterday when they held a press conference to draw attention to episodes of bullying and an atmosphere of “toxic masculinity” and discrimination against women ministers at the church who dared to raise questions about church finances, specifically what happened to $4 million the church raised by selling off property. One minister even said she felt physically … Continue reading Trouble at Mt Zion

TECG 45th Anniversary: “Shine!” with Madame King and Patrinell Staten Wright from Andrew Elizaga on Vimeo. We are thrilled to be able to give you a glimpse of this amazing event: Madame Evelina King of Black Nativity fame joins Patrinell in singing “Shine!” at the Total Experience Gospel Choir’s 45th Anniversary Concert! Continue reading TECG 45th Anniversary: “Shine!”

During the summer of 2017 we followed Pastor Patrinell Wright to New Orleans where she met with high school students who were rebuilding homes as volunteers for  Shirts Across America. We had the privilege of filming her heartbreaking performance of several Negro spirituals at the Whitney Plantation slavery museum. This performance of “Motherless Child” in the plantation’s old chapel really spoke to us. The figures … Continue reading “Motherless Child”

Margaret Larson, host of King 5’s New Day Northwest, featured Patrinell Wright and the Total Experience Gospel Choir on yesterday’s show. Singer/songwriter and Grammy nominee Ray Dalton sings “Lean on Me”. Continue reading Patrinell and TEGC on TV!

Our producer/co-director Tia Young recently received this message from one of the very first Total Experience Gospel Choir members: Hi Tia – I wanted to share my experience as a TEGC choir member: I was a music student in the Franklin High School Gospel Choir September 1973. Pat saw something in me she identified as a gift. So I became a student director, mentored by … Continue reading A former choir member bears witness to the power of faith

Marcie Sillman spoke to Pastor Patrinell Wright, ahead of her retirement and anniversary performance of the Total Experience Gospel Choir on Sunday, October 7 at the Moore Theatre–with a brief mention of our film Patrinell: The Total Experience! Continue reading KUOW: Pastor Pat Wright reflects on her legacy in Seattle

I found this amazing clip of Pastor Patrinell Wright performing “Precious Lord”.  It comes from a VHS tape we found in the archive titled A Night With Wright and the Total Experience Gospel Choir and it was filmed by Amy Laly. The date is unknown. The concert was produced by John Mifsud who was a member of the choir at the time. I spoke with … Continue reading “Precious Lord”