By Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
Sing Praises: Members of the Meadowvale Youth Choir in one accord at the Choir Festival of Praise held at the University of Technology, Old Hope Road, St Andrew, on Saturday night. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
'THIS FAR by faith' was the theme of Kingsway High School's Choir Festival of Praise 2003 held at the Alfred Sangster Auditorium at the University of Technology (UTech) on Saturday.
The festival, which was a part of the institution's 60th anniversary celebrations, was the stage on which several Seventh-Day Adventist Church choirs showcased their vocal prowess.
However, on a night when most of the performances were mediocre, two choirs stood heads and shoulders above their counterparts Kingsway Preparatory Choir and the Meadowvale Youth Choir.
Nonetheless, the crowd was 'pumped' all throughout the concert. So 'hyped' were they, that they almost applauded the MC's declaration that statistics showed that on an average three persons died per day in 2002.
Kingsway Prep was the second of the nine performances on the night, but what they delivered outshone many of their adult counterparts. They gave an amazing rendition of We Are United.
Although it may have been a tad past their bedtime, the prepschoolers showed no signs of sleep. They were led by a girl who possesses a wonderful voice. She also displayed tremendous poise as she delivered the lyrics.
The audience was behind them all the way and their support was justified, especially since the members of the choir were so cute and sounded so well.
The next excellent performance came from the penultimate performers, the Meadowvale Youth Choir. They were the obvious crowd favourites, since at the mention of their name volcanic shouts and whistles erupted inside the auditorium.
Initially, it seemed that the audience had a dose of nepotism in their blood, but the choir proved that the cheers were justified. They opened their set with a solemn rendition of Saviour More Than Life To Me. Continuous screams and whistles were offered up as the choir gave praise in sweet harmony.
The female lead singer gave a good account of herself. Towards the end of the song, the musicians withdrew their services and the choir sang a capella, which was a nice touch.
Their second offering was a worship medley. This time they were under the guidance of a male director and a lead singer of the same persuasion. The choir showcased versatility.
As the choir exited, there were chants of "More, More!" from a section of the audience. However, the requests for an encore were not met.
The closing performance was delivered by the Combined Choir, which was comprised of individuals from some of the choirs that performed on the night. Other worthy performances came from Hearts N' Harmony, the Constant Spring Choir, the King's Chapel Choir and the Kencot Youth Choir.
The Penwood Youth Choir also gave a good account of themselves with solid renditions of Behold He Comes and Field of Souls, that is, until the third and final song, Who Can Satisfy. They should have quit while they were ahead. It was either the microphone, the lead singer or a combination of both that slaughtered the song. Nonetheless, the back-up was good and they gave thanks to God.
The other performances on the night were by no means poor but they were nothing to write home about.
