Power of Music
Van Gilmer, reknown soloist, composer, and director, is the original organizer and director of the 80 member Bahá’í Gospel Choir that made its first debut appearance before a standing-room only audience in the Ramada Hotel Ballroom during the 2nd Bahá’í World Congress held in New York City in 1992. Since then, he has directed several Bahá’í choirs, including a 100 member Bahá’í Choir that toured western Europe in 2004. Van produced his first CD from that tour entitled: The Bahá’í Gospel Choir LIVE in Luxembourg. Van is a native of Greensboro North Carolina, and graduated from NC Agricultural & Technical State University with a BS in Architectural Engineering. During that early period, he was also directly involved in the sit-ins of the 1960’s to remove barriers of segregation in the United States. After 37 years of federal civilian service in a variety of engineering and management positions. During his Federal Employment, he appointed the Director of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) where he also represented Navy Department EEO Directors for the Northeast of the US and Europe. He was presented with the Civilian Meritorious Award and Metal by the US Navy Department for his outstanding service and retired from federal service in 2004. For the past nine years, Mr. Gilmer has been the Music Director at the Bahá’í House of Worship for the North American Continent, located in Wilmette, Illinois. He has toured throughout Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean and has appeared twice at Carnegie Hall. In 2011, Van took a Baha’i Gospel Choir to sing for the 50th Anniversary of the Baha’i Faith in Ethiopia. Van has been a Bahá’í for over 49 years and has served on a variety of Bahá’í administrative and appointed bodies, including the National Race Unity and National Persian/American Affairs Committees. Mr. Gilmer was invited by the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington DC to direct a 200-voice Combined Choir for their 26th Annual InterFaith Conference held at the Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, D.C. He is currently planning for the 9th Annual Baha’i Choral Festival which he founded under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States. He is also the recipient of the Independent Music Award’s “Best Gospel Song” for 2005. Van is a member of the American Society of Choral Directors and is listed in the Who’s Who Registry & Global Network for Outstanding Professionals.