Charles City’s Harrison Sheckler joins virtual choir, Gloria Gaynor in new gospel release

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Charles City musical prodigy Harrison Sheckler is adding another line to his long and growing list of accomplishments, joining his Sheckler Virtual Choir and Grammy-award-winning singer Gloria Gaynor to release a new gospel music video, “Talkin’ ’Bout Jesus,” which premiered Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on YouTube.

The song is drawn from Gaynor’s award-winning album, “Testimony,” with a message that “aligns seamlessly with themes of hope and spiritual resilience found in Jesus Christ,” Sheckler said.

Sheckler pioneered the virtual choir approach to music-making during the pandemic, when gathering in person for concerts and performances was not possible.

He melds digital contributions from singers and instrumentalists into “a meticulous blend of individual recordings, harmoniously woven together to form a single, unified voice,” Sheckler explained.

Connecting with 300 artists from 15 counties for the Virtual Choir Project Covid-19, Sheckler turned the classic “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from “Carousel” into a viral phenomenon, receiving almost 1.9 million YouTube views from around the world.

A baseball-themed follow-up involved former major league pitcher Bronson Arroyo in a virtual rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

Gaynor, now 80, is best known for her 1978 chart-topper and Grammy winner, “I Will Survive,” as well as other disco-era hits such as “Never Can Say Goodbye,” “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” and “Let Me Know (I Have a Right).” She is a member of the Dance Music Hall of Fame.

Gaynor released “Testimony” in 2019, winning the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album.

On “Talkin’ ’Bout Jesus,” Sheckler electronically gathered 60 choir members from across the country to lend their voices, along with featured vocalist Kymberli Joye and musicians including himself and Elise Trouw, Anna Sentina, Sophie Giuliani, Steven Alesso, Grace Kelly and The Brass Twins, Sheckler said in a news release.

Sheckler is a pianist, violinist, actor, composer and professor who traces his musical roots to piano lessons beginning at age 6 in his hometown of Charles City.

In addition to a long list of placings in state and national piano competitions, he received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a Masters of Music in Piano Performance from the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, and is currently finishing his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at the University of Arizona.

Sheckler is currently serving as visiting professor of piano at Wartburg College in Waverly.