The National Gospel Music Centre
The National Gospel Music Centre (NGMC), based at Liverpool Lighthouse and led by internationally renowned choir director Anu Omideyi FRSL, is the UK's leading organisation dedicated to celebrating, developing and sharing gospel music.
Gospel music is the foundation of contemporary popular music—from soul and R&B to rock, pop and hip-hop. Yet its rich heritage and the contributions of Black artists to mainstream culture often go unrecognised.
The NGMC exists to change that.
Through festivals, education programmes, artist development and our celebrated choirs, we're bringing gospel music to new audiences, nurturing the next generation of talent, and creating spaces where diverse communities come together through the universal power of song.
Our mission
Promote
gospel music to new mainstream audiences
Develop
new and established gospel music artists
Educate
and inspire through awareness of gospel music's historic roots and cultural significance
Liverpool Gospel Music Festival
The Liverpool Gospel Music Festival (LGMF) is the UK's first mainstream gospel music festival, bringing together outstanding artists and audiences to celebrate the talent, heritage and joy of gospel music.
More than just a concert, LGMF is a statement: a celebration of the immense contribution of Black artists and communities to music culture, and a space where people from all backgrounds come together to experience something extraordinary.
The 2025 festival brought together over 130 artists to perform, while our Christmas Gospel event at the iconic St George's Hall united 100+ performers from 7 different gospel choirs for a sell-out audience of 600.
Gospel Music into Schools
Gospel Music into Schools (GMiS) brings the joy, heritage and educational richness of gospel music directly into classrooms across the UK.
Developed by the NGMC and now licensed by RSL Awards (Rockschool) for national distribution, GMiS delivers curriculum-aligned resources that celebrate the contributions of Black communities to mainstream music culture while developing students' musicality, confidence and performance skills.
From KS1 through to KS3, the programme is designed to be accessible to all teachers – no musical training required, just passion. Schools across Liverpool have already experienced the transformation that gospel music brings to their students.
Choirs
The Liverpool Lighthouse Choirs are at the heart of the NGMC's work – three distinct ensembles united by a shared passion for gospel music and led by award-winning choir director Anu Omideyi.
Each choir develops its members' vocal skills, interpretation, songwriting and musicality, while nurturing the next generation of choir directors through mentoring and leadership opportunities. But more than that, our choirs are communities; spaces where people find confidence, connection and joy through the transformative power of singing together.
Recently, our choirs have performed on Comic Relief, the National Lottery New Year's Eve Show, Songs of Praise (twice), SXSW London, and the Liverpool Gospel Music Festival, reaching audiences of up to 2,000.
Artist Development
The NGMC is committed to nurturing gospel music talent at every stage of an artist's journey. Through our Artist Development Programme, supported by PPL Giving, we provide workshops, mentoring and performance opportunities that help artists grow their skills, build their networks and reach new audiences.
Our programme brings together experienced industry professionals and emerging artists for intensive development days covering everything from technical skills to business knowledge. Participants gain not just insight, but real opportunities – with artists going on to perform at LGMF and release new music.
Beyond the development programme, we create performance opportunities throughout the year, from intimate showcases to headline festival slots, helping artists build their audiences and gain valuable stage experience.
