There were seven participating groups in Choir Fest this year – one of the main events in the run-up to the observance of Anguilla Day. The 7th annual event was staged, as usual, at the Mount Fortune Seventh-day Adventist Church where the space is most accommodating.
The choirs, as well as the other members of the public, were welcomed by Resident Minister, Pastor Trent Berg, and Mr. Clive Smith of the Department of Social Development, the latter of whom assisted with coordinating the event. Choir Fest was chaired by Mr. Christopher Richardson, Executive Assistant Manager at CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa and Music Minister of the Christian Fellowship Church.
Mr. Richardson, who is also Chairman of the Water Corporation Board of Anguilla, spoke highly about the contribution of Choir Fest to the Anguilla Day calendar of events and the unity and cooperation it promotes among the various churches on the island.
The groups and their selections, in order of the appearance, were as follows: The Anguilla Seventh-day Adventist Chorale: Sweeter; Christian Fellowship Church Choir: O Lord, How Excellent Is Your Name; Dominion Faith Centre Choir: Glorious; Ebenezer Methodist Youth Choir: Yahweh; Hilltop Baptist Church Chorale: I am Souled Out; St. Augustine’s Chorale: Upon This Rock; and Skekinah Choir – Church of God (Holiness): Anguilla My Home.
During the brief opening ceremony, Minister of Home Affairs, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, commended the participating choirs for putting a lot of effort in Choir Fest and for the spiritual blessing their songs provided. She noted the constraints which contributed to the reduced number of choirs, this year, and looked forward to the Fiftieth Anniversary of Anguilla Day when the number is expected to be much higher.
