| Anguilla’s leading religious singing group, the St. Augustine’s Chorale, returned to the stage after a short break to present a special Yuletideprogrammemarking the last week of 2011 and the first week of 2012. |
Called the Christmas Song, the one-hour programme was first presented on Sunday, December 25, and drew much applause and a standing ovation from the audience. A repeat performance has been planned for Sunday, January 1, at 6 pm.
Chorale Director, and professional musician, Lennox Vanterpool, told The Anguillian that for the past eleven years the group had been producing Easter and Christmas cantatas and had toured a number of islands.
“This year is a sort of a renewed spirit because we took a break last Easter and we have now we have resumed,” he went on. “We have new outfits and new recruits as well. That is what is responsible for the nice rich sound; and we did a number of things in terms of technical exercises, chorale mechanics, different placing of the members and so on. The overall camaraderie has been really enriched by the injection of new blood and drama.” The Morlens Music School, which Mr. Vanterpool owns, provided prelude music.
The narration was beautifully done by Tameika Fleming who has perfected her skills in this area over the years. The clarity of her articulation and intonations in presenting the various selections and their settings, without script, added much to the excellence of the programme. Other features were items of drama performed by Chrispen Gumbs, James Harrigan, Sandra Liddie, Eversley Browne and Vanburn Brooks.
The spiritually uplifting, and well-rendered, progamme included songs such as the Christmas Song, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, My Saviour and My Son, a Degree and a Journey, No Room, Angel Announcement, A Nativity Medley, A Visit to Herod, Procession of Kings, Who Would Imagine a King?, and Joy, Joy with the Christmas Song. |
