BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - A LARGE AND APPRECIATIVE audience welcomed back St. Christopher Choral Society to the Wesley Methodist Church Hall on the evening of Saturday 14th April 2012, and no one was disappointed.
Clyde Richardson, who has already proven time and time again his accomplishments as a competent choir director, was able to evoke from his choir members a rich medley of classical, spiritual and popular songs which at times awed, delighted and lifted the spirits of his music-loving patrons.
The 30-40 strong member St. Christopher Choral Society consists of a mix of members from various choirs of the island and others who are all passionate about music.
Their voices all blended to produce a very professional outpouring of song – a confident, glorious harmony of sopranos, altos, tenors and bass’s which had the audience absorbed in every song they rendered.
The male voices, though in the minority, were quite distinct and strong, and added much to the overall tonal richness, and there was an impressive interweaving of various parts which cued in flawlessly.
The programme opened with spirituals from the choir and each song carried its personal touch.
Lofty strains, jubilation and glorious acclamation could describe the first renditions – ‘Heavens are telling’ (by Joseph Haydn), ‘Hear O Israel’ (by Craig Courtney) and ‘Ain’t that Good News’ (by William L. Dawson) – while ‘O Lux Beatissima’ by Howard Helvey brought more dulcet and meditative tones.
The second part of the three-part programme introduced various guest artistes which brought variation to the evening’s entertainment.
A highlight here was the ‘Hands of Praise’ group with their rhythmic interpretation of the song ‘Lord, You’re Holy’. This was done in a darkened hall, where the audience saw only the fluorescent gloved hands of the performers.
Another well received highlight was the acappela group ‘Quattro Voci’ who brought their negro spirituals with a spin. Their voices blended well and they were interpretive as well as dramatic with their songs which brought some amusement to their rapt listeners.
Kudos to Choral Reefs, a little group composed of children from the Ross University Prep School, whose plaintive songs provided a pleasant variation while the trumpet and guitar duet of Inanga and Clayton brought a subdued, soulful variation of ‘Amazing Grace’.
In the third part of the programme, the audience was invited to sing along with the group as they rendered popular songs such as ‘As time goes by’, ‘Over the Rainbow’ and ‘What a wonderful world’.
Larry Vaughn, whose rich bass conjured up Paul Robeson of the sixties and seventies in USA, showed that his range of voice can go all the way up to tenor – as was demonstrated in his ‘You’ll never walk alone’ (Rodgers and Hammerstein) rendition.
The programme was brought to a fitting end with the signature piece of the evening, ‘Why we Sing’, which was also the title-theme of this year’s programme.
The song, we were told, also embraces the philosophy of the St. Christopher Choral Society - “A sound of hope, a sound of peace, a sound that celebrates and speaks what we believe…this is why we sing, why we lift our voice…” (See lyrics below)
The success of the evening’s production could also be attributed to its very skilled accompanists – Rev. Jeremy Francis and Mr. Gairy Knight, and also to Ms Dentrecia Blanchette, who as MC guided the audience smoothly through the programme.
The St. Christopher Choral Society also took the opportunity at the end of the production to say goodbye to two very active members whose stay in St. Kitts at Ross University had come to an end. They were Jakki Moses, who was Assistant Director, and Marilyn Burns who strengthened the Alto section of the group.
To all those who contributed to this very satisfying evening, especially Director Clyde Richardson, we say thank you and well done.
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Lyrics of the signature tune -
Why We Sing
A sound of hope, a sound of peace,
a sound that celebrates and speaks what we believe.
A sound of love, a sound so strong.
It's amazing what is given when we share a song.
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice,
why we stand as one in harmony.
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice.
Take my hand and sing with me.
Soothe a soul, mend a heart,
bring together lives that have been torn apart.
Share the joy, find a friend.
It's a never-ending gift that circles back again.
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice,
why we stand as one in harmony.
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice.
Take my hand and sing with me.
Music builds a bridge, it can tear down a wall.
Music is a language that can speak to one and all!
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice,
why we stand as one in harmony.
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice.
Take my hand and sing with me.
This is why we sing!
We sing! We sing!
Greg Gilpin
