COURTESY OF UH MANOA OUTREACH COLLEGE The Harlem Gospel Choir has performed with U2, Diana Ross, Ashford and Simpson, Lyle Lovett and Harry Belafonte.

A joyful noise

HANDS clapping, feet stomping, voices wailing -- no, it's not another haunted house taking place in celebration of Halloween this weekend.

Harlem Gospel Choir Where: Hawaii Theatre When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 Tickets: $10-$15. Order tickets online: www.hawaiitheatre.com Call: 528-0506 For more information: www.harlemgospelchoir.com

All that noise coming from the Hawaii Theatre tomorrow night will be of the righteous variety, as the Harlem Gospel Choir makes its Hawaii debut.

"It's called 'making a joyful noise,' " says Allen Bailey, the group's leader.

"It's inspirational music."

ORIGINALLY started with 15 members, Bailey founded the Harlem Gospel Choir on January 15, 1986, in honor of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

These days, the choir has about 60 individuals in its ranks, with some also belonging to various community church choirs in New York City.

Singers rotate in and out of the traveling choir, which has been on the road for about 10 months out of the last year in support of the "Give Peace a Chance" world tour.

According to Bailey, about 30 choir members make the trip for tour dates, with gigs taking them as far away as Asia, Australia, Europe and even the Vatican, where the choir spent its third visit with Pope John Paul II in 2003.

"We're truly blessed," he said. "It's really wonderful to ... travel the world."

WHILE THE Harlem Gospel Choir is a religious group, it's always been Bailey's aim to take a slice of African-American culture and introduce it to a wider audience.

"People laughed at me at first," he said. Not everyone believed that Gospel music could capture the attention of audiences as it did in Harlem's black community.

"But little did they know, you know?"

With another hearty chuckle, he begins to rattle off some of the more exotic places the choir has visited. Then there are performances with popular artists like U2, Diana Ross, Ashford and Simpson, Lyle Lovett and Harry Belafonte.

Bailey credits one of King's philosophies as a driving force behind the choir. The performances are his group's way of "bringing nations of people together."

"The Harlem Gospel Choir, first and foremost, is a ministry," he said. "What you consider entertainment is our form of worship."

ALONG WITH tomorrow's performance at the Hawaii Theatre, the choir will perform at Waiau Elementary, Wheeler Intermediate and Kamehameha Schools before visiting the neighbor islands.

Bailey's hope is to expose island residents to an event most will never see in person -- a typical Sunday afternoon service in Harlem.

"We want to give a better understanding of the African-America culture as it relates to the black church," he said. "It's a real important institution in our community."