By Tanya Batson, Staff Reporter 
These little ones give quite a finish to their dance and Kelly-Ann Bernard gave a heart-warming, thrilling performance. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
ON SUNDAY evening, children from the Meadowbrook Preparatory School, thrilled friends, parents and others by lifting their voices in song. The performance, titled 'An Evening of Excellence' was held at the Meadowbrook United Church in Kingston.
While there were professional adult performers, the children simply stole the show. The simple truth is that, next to the sound of their laughter, the sounds of childlike voices lifted in song (when they are not off-key that is) always seems like a little peek at heaven. With voices and faces eager with hope for the future, they delighted the audience in that special way that only children can.
The children began the evening with an interesting rendition of Psalm 148, delivered by the Speaking Ensemble. The students spoke in expressive, loud voices, and seemed to truly enjoy their delivery.
The Ensemble's performance was followed up by a solo from Kelly-Ann Bernard, another member of Meadowbrook Preparatory. Dressed in a frothy white gown which smacked of the innocence echoed in the clarity of her voice, Kelly-Ann wowed the audience with her performance of Redeemer. Her voice was deep and soulful and completely belied her years. At the end of the song, several members of the audience got to their feet in enthusiastic applause.
The other musical item which the preparatory school delivered was performed by the choir. They performed Sing a Rainbow and What the World Needs Now, helping to give the evening the feeling of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
This feeling would later be reinforced by the pieces by Adam Chin Fatt and Rafig Williams, on violin. The two young men are members of the Twinkle Ensemble. The two performed Edelweiss by Rogers and Hammerstein, Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Harold Arlen and The Ashgrove, a Welsh tune.
However, song was not all the students of Meadowbrook Preparatory had to offer. They students also performed the dance We Bow Down. The song of the same title is a gospel tune with a dance beat. The energetic dance, which included shimmies and somersaults, went over very well with the audience. Dancers from the Meadowbrook United Church's dance ministry also complemented the evening with two dances.
The students also lifted their hands in song. Dressed in black dresses, and wearing white gloves, which were highlighted in the darkened room, the students performed a graceful Jesus Loves Me (The Whitney Houston version) in sign language.
Although the students' performances would have been quite enough, their were also performances by Soprano Yvonne Miller. Ms. Miller performed in two sets. Her rendition of the West Side Story old hit I Feel Pretty quite amused the audience.
The organ also made its presence felt through work of Paul Bicknell. Mr. Bicknell, an attorney, has played for the St. Andrew Parish church for a long time. On Sunday evening he performed a complete set of Jamaican compositions: Evening Time, Tune Your Harps to Joyful Strains, Change Your Sighs For Songs of Praise and The Right Hand of God. The audience was asked to join the performance of Noel Dexter's The Right Hand of God.
The Portmore Chorale also added their brand of classic praise to the evening. First performing hymns, the choir treated the audience to Give Me Wings and Oh Praise Ye The Lord. When they returned to the stage at the end of the show, they wowed with Ezeikel Saw the Wheel, Somebody's Calling My Name and The Great I Am. They were the fitting end to a truly excellent evening.
The chorale's performance had only been topped by Dean Frasers, who had performed My Heart Will Go On, The Greatest Love of All, I Believe in Miracles and Diamonds on the Soles of Her Feet.
As the night's host Silvera Castro pointed out at the end of the night, it was indeed a "beautiful rice and peas Sunday!".
