The Good News Gospel Choir is a 50-voice, multi-denominational singing group founded by Chris Coogan that performs nearly every weekend at chburches, festivals, fundraisers and various community events throughout the state of Connecticut. The group has released three albums, 1997's Joy, Unspeakable Joy, 1999's Light a Candle. and the breakout album of 2006, Every Day I Want To Praise You.

Chris's experience as a teacher of Gospel music to youth goes back 15 years starting with his own experience at his alma mater, Amherst College. He has also worked with college choirs at Dartmouth, Williams, (multi-cultural) and at University of Bridgeport, (primarily Japanese). He has directed numerous choirs at local churches including Norfield Church, Weston, CT, (white suburban) St Paul's AME, (Black Pentecostal), St Lukes Episcopal (Black Anglican) Macedonia (Black Pentecostal), New Life Christian Fellowship (Multicultural), Greater Faith (Black Baptist) and the Carver Center (after school program for minority children). He has led workshops for churches, colleges, youth rallies, retreats, denominational conventions, youth leaders networking convention, public schools, and numerous concerts featuring workshop choirs. He has formed choirs demonstrating how to bring different kinds of people together through Gospel music at events sponsored by Maranatha Music, the National Music Ministers Convention, and at Y.E.C. The biggest youth choir he has done involved over 300 middle schoolers at the Southern Baptist Convention in 2001. He was artist in residence at Hope University, a Christian College in L.A., teaching students piano, voice, improvisation, song-styling and arranging, songwriting, performance issues for groups and soloists as well as bringing together a 100 voice gospel choir from the two other local "mega" churches, Crossroads Christian Church in Corona, CA and Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, CA. He recently brought together Weston High School Choir, the Good News Gospel Choir and the Westport Community band for a concert of unity and has done similar programs using the Norwalk Symphony and other local gospel choirs.

"I see myself as a catalyst who uses the medium of music to spread joy."