Anticipation of Hannibal, MO

From it`s earliest days, the very heart of Southern Gospel has been the sweet harmony of quartets. Today, in a genre filled with wonderful trios, duos, and soloists, quartets still hold an unmatched appeal and popularity. There is perhaps no sweeter sound, however, than the tone of family harmony. Some of the most influential groups in Southern Gospel have been family groups including The Happy Goodman Family and the Hoppers, bringing Southern Gospel music some of it`s most memorable songs. It is this musical influence that has worked its way into the heart of Anticipation.

Brian Himmel began singing when he was just a child. Born into a musical family where all of his brothers played at least one instrument, Brian`s father traveled and sang in a local barbershop quartet. As he matured Brian became involved with his church choir, eventually becoming the choir director. It was in 1998, however, that he was given the opportunity to sing with a local group by the name of Two By Two. It was through this experience that Brian`s sons, Brandon and Chris, found their own love for Southern Gospel music and singing.

A few years after leaving Two By Two, Brian was invited to sing at a festival near his home town of Manito, Illinois. After singing with a group for more than six years, however, he didn`t relish the thought of singing alone. For this reason, he happily recruited his sons to sing with him at the festival. In the following weeks the newly formed group received several phone calls inviting them to sing at various churches and events. With this unexpected inception Anticipation began traveling as a trio.

Brandon wonderfully sings the lead part with the group. As one of the Southern Gospel`s strongest lead singers, his God-given talent and passion for Christ are evident every time he sings. Chris sings that baritone part and is also the emcee for the group, using his gift as a natural communicator to connect with congregations and audiences. Brian naturally fills the bass part, drawing comparisons to gospel greats George Younce and J.D. Sumner.

In 2015, however, the trio knew that it was time to make an addition, adding the talented Erica Graham to their group. Erica hails from from Hannibal, Missouri, having met the Himmels at an Anticipation concert at her grandparent`s church in Barry, Illinois. After traveling for many years as a soloist, Erica knew that God was calling her to Anticipation, adding depth and dynamic energy to the quartet. Together, they are excited to see what God has in store for them on this new adventure into ministry. Anticipation performs more than 100 concerts a year and has traveled thousands of miles around the tri-state area sharing their love for Christ. They have been honored to sing in numerous churches, revivals, city homecomings and fairs, in addition to various additional venues.
Their main goal in both ministry and life is to see people saved through the message in their songs.