The Roots of Music is thrilled to announce that they will host a holiday concert on Thursday, December 18, 2025, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at their new campus, in the historic St. Gabriel the Archangel Church.

The venue is located at 5029 Louisa Dr., New Orleans, LA 70126. This event will showcase students from The Marching Crusaders and Studio All-Star Band, and include performances by special guests the Voices of St. Peter Claver, NOLAKEYS and Big 6 Brass Band. The concert will also honor the late Veronica Downs Dorsey, beloved music teacher and gospel choir director for St. Peter Claver Catholic Church.

For 40 years, “Miss Vee” served in the Orleans Parish School System, inspiring generations as the Vocal Music Educator at McDonogh #35 Senior High School. Under her leadership, The Singing Roneagles became a symbol of excellence, recognized as the first high school gospel choir in New Orleans and the first to perform at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Their performances in the Gospel Tent became an annual tradition, and the choir received numerous awards, including OffBeat Magazine’s Best of the Beat Award for Best Gospel Group three consecutive years (2014–2016).

Beyond the classroom, Dorsey’s ministry touched churches and communities throughout New Orleans and beyond. She  served as Choir Director at St. Monica Catholic Church, later leading The Voices of Peter Claver at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church. She also directed the New Orleans Gospel Soul Children, the Vee-Ro Singers. She was an accompanist for The New Orleans Black Chorale, Tyrone Foster and the Arc Singers, The Davell Crawford Singers and the New Orleans Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc.

The Roots of Music (TROM) is proud to honor their eighteenth anniversary and recent move to a permanent home in Gentilly Woods. For nearly two decades, they’ve operated out of borrowed spaces—adapting classrooms into rehearsal halls, storing instruments across multiple sites, and running a full-scale youth development program without a dedicated home. The new facilities will allow them to strengthen instruction across programs and create lasting infrastructure for long-term growth, while continuing to serve over 250 students annually. This will be the first concert hosted in their new home.