Upcoming gigs

We are Café of the Gate of Salvation, Sydney's premier a cappella gospel choir. Inspired by the footstompin', soulful music of the African-American vocal tradition, we sing because we love to and we share our voices, to foster inclusiveness, compassion & joy – increasingly needed in this world of ours.

Please join us as we take you on a soul-stirring gospel and soul evening, with special guest, the fabulous, Diana Rouvas, all supported by our wonderful Heavenly Band (Tim Rollinson: Guitar, Scott Saunders: Organ and Electric Piano, Ivan Jordan: Drums & Greg Royal: Bass).

We are delighted to have Diana Rouvas joining us on stage as we set off on our first exciting journey together. We hope you’ll join us for a fabulous evening of soaring voices and soulful songs as only this special combo can do.

From traditional a cappella James Cleveland gospel, to band-driven Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, we'll take you to the river, quench your soul and electrify your spirit with our delectable gospel and soul selection - come on down and be revived!

Leading us all is our fantastic Musical Director, Dynes Austin.
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DIANA ROUVAS BIO

If tenacity, fearlessness and creativity are the marks of a true artist, then Diana Rouvas was born for the role. A self-confessed perfectionist and dreamer-turned-doer, this Sydney-born vocalist and songwriter has lived and breathed music since she could barely speak.

Having grown up in a tremendously musical family, Rouvas made her onstage debut at a young age and was a music industry veteran by the time she was twenty years old. She began serious vocal training at just four and started writing music at seven.  At sixteen, Rouvas travelled to the US to hone in on her songwriting skills and perform around the country, and by seventeen, she was touring internationally as a backup singer for Tina Arena. Over the last decade, she has become one of the darlings of the Sydney music scene and gained industry respect as an outstanding live vocalist. She has sung alongside some of Australia’s most successful musicians, toured the world as a solo artist and even represented Australia by performing at the prestigious G’Day USA Australia Week showcase in Los Angeles.

In 2012, Rouvas was one of the final eight contestants on the first series of The Voice as part of Keith Urban’s team. While many would argue that her defining moment was a vibrant and charismatic rendition of Beyoncé’s Love On Top, her depth and nature as an artist wasn’t truly felt until she floored the judges with a raw and incredibly sultry performance of blues standard Stormy Monday that was not only goosebump-inducing, but technically impressive.

As a songwriter, Rouvas is honest and passionate. Her music draws poetic inspiration from legendary storyteller Joni Mitchell and paired with the smooth and sexy grooves of 70s idols Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, Chaka Khan and Chicago funk band RUFUS, which she has had the opportunity to collaborate with, her sound is as authentic as it is soulful. “I’ve always accessed my songwriting through a very creative, imaginative and almost spiritual place,” she says of her practice. “My songs are always truthful - I wouldn’t sing something I didn’t believe in, so when I perform I want the audience to really connect with an emotion.”  Over the years, Rouvas has had a number of high-profile knocks on her door requesting the use of her songs, yet has decided to keep them close to her heart, resulting in an impressive body of work to choose from in her live performances. 

In a sea of electronic bleeps and production overkill, Diana Rouvas is a breath of fresh air. An accomplished entertainer with an old-school approach of integrity, determination and detail and a youthful but sexy on-stage magnetism that is completely her own. She is a musician’s musician, the real deal, and you bet she’s in it for the long haul.

Diana is currently working on her new album set for release early 2018.