Michael Reckord, Gleaner Writer
Children from the Duke Street United Church School dance before the songs.
May 2008 will mark the 150th anniversary of the Duke Street United Church, and to raise funds for refurbishing church members organised a concert at Stephanie Hall, St. Andrew, last Saturday evening.
Hundreds turned out for 'Choirs in Praise', so it was probably a financial success and undoubtedly, it was an artistic one.
But there was more to the concert than just choral pieces. There were also four dance items by amateur groups from two churches and a sign language item. The first dance was by six children aged between five and eight from Duke Street United Church School, the second was by eight older girls from Meadowbrook United Church, the third was by five teens of the Duke Street Dancers and the fourth, also from Duke Street United, comprisedthe five teens of Donna and Company.
The dances, either to gospel music or dancehall, were all simple, lively expressions of joy. That emotion was also predominant in the sign language item performed by the six young women of the Duke Street United Church School to My Life I Give.
Arguably, though, the most enjoyed components of the concert were the 10-minute praise and worship segments at the start of both the first and second halves. Four persons led the audience in song and one in each group did some praying. The first quartet was from Duke Street United Church, the second from Escarpment Road New Testament Church of God.
A triumph
Hands clap and bodies move in one of the lively praise and worship sessions.
While by the time the concert ended at 10:00 p.m. it had turned out to be a triumph, the initial events suggested failure. Scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. the event actually kicked off nearly 50 minutes later. Delayed by work MC Olecia Wedderburn arrived 30 minutes after that.
Added to that, the host church's opening hymns, People Need the Lord and I Will Lift My Eyes Unto the Hills, were funeral in tone, in sharp contrast to the lively praise hymns and choruses. Happily, after the lively Wedderburn took charge of the proceedings and it started flowing, things got better.
The Kingsgate Youth Choir, the second choir to take the stage, had seven members. Their hymns, Morning by Morning and Your Face Still Amazes Me, were simple and pretty.
This was in contrast to the next choir, from Kencot, a much larger, more professional group. Conducted with great energy by choir mistress Cecile Boyd, they sang Holy, Holy, Holy and Alleluia is the Highest Praise, both of which were given complex, subtle arrangements. Their professional delivery earned them frequent applause.
The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) choir also had strong voices, but lacked the textured quality of the Kencot group. They sang I Will Lift up Mine Eyes Unto the Hills and I Can Go to God in Prayer.
Lovely mellow sound
The Surrey Male Choir delivers 'Aint Got Time to Die' at Choirs In Praise 2007, held at Stephanie Hall, Holy Childhood High School, last Saturday. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
The Surrey Male Voice Choir, about 14 strong, consisted of mostly seniors, unlike the other choirs which comprised predominantly young people. A combination and the age and sex of the members resulted in a lovely mellow sound as they sang the spiritual Ain't Got Time to Die.
That mellowness was certainly missing from the next choir on stage, the youth choir from Pentecostal Gospel Temple. The young voices did have volume and energy, however, as they sang Lord, We Bless Your Name and I Will Bless the Lord.
The penultimate choir, from Escarpment Road, was less shrill and more harmonious as they sang My Life I Give and Zion. The 32-strong Emmanuel Mass Choir ended the concert powerfully with Glory and Honour and Bless Me.
