By Venisa Wallace, Staff Writer
Their voices came together beautifully in tribute of the soldiers who fought bravely to defend the country they call home. This was not the first time the new choir has sung together. Their first performance took place on October 26.
“Everyone can sing, but not everyone should sing.” This cliché was not the rant of the audience that was seated in the Student Community Center Boardrooms on October 26, 2010, at 7:00 p.m., awaiting the first performance from the Saint Leo University Singers. The audience sat mesmerized for an hour as choir and T.A.B.S (Tenor, Alto, Bass, and Soprano) wowed them with their seemingly natural vocal talents.
The concert was entitled It’s a Fine Night for Singing and was a production presented by the Department of English, Fine Arts and Humanities. The evening started with the choir singing an ensemble of songs, most of which were performed by soloists. The songs performed were from a medley of musical genres including contemporary gospel, rhythm and blues, and folk. Although contemporary gospel monopolized the night, the rendition of the rhythm and blues song Route 66 was most popular among the audience. After the choir finished their ensemble, T.A.B.S took the stage. T.A.B.S, the Saint Leo University acapella group performed more modern songs than the choir. These songs were Viva La Vida, Apologize, and I’m Yours. Each song was sung by an individual member of the T.A.B.S group and accompanied by the other members who made rhythmic sounds with their mouths. The performance of Apologize stood out from the rest, as the singers re-enacted their interpretation to the song.
“This is kind of like Glee,” said sophomore Jennifer Bissonette in response to the Apologize performance.
The choir’s first performance was indeed a treat for all as the choir and T.A.B.S performed both secular and Christian music. Ms. Cynthia Selph, choir director, said she was proud of the choir’s performance. She also said that the choir did not have a lot of time to prepare for this performance because there were a lot of breaks, such as Labor Day, but they did exceptionally regardless. The performance day was also not void of problems and it seemed as if Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” was at work when the speakers malfunctioned. The choir continued their performance despite the hiccups.
After the performance, several members of the audience said what they thought of the show. The Batra family was one family group that came to support their daughter Kritti. Mr. and Mrs. Batra thought their daughter and the choir did well. They were proud Kritti was a part of the choir. They said their favorite song was Route 66 and that Morgin Garcia was also a good performer. One question a numerous amount of people asked was, “What does T.A.B.S stand for?”
Many musicians might have realized that T.A.B.S was the acronym for tenor, alto, bass and soprano, but for the ordinary Joe figuring this out, it provided a puzzle. Kerri Cobbs was another audience member who commented in favor of the performance. She said that Demetre Vereen was her favorite performer. The soloist also shared their views of the performances. Maria Sullivan and Brianna Vila commented on how nervous they were performing in front of everyone. Mr. Sullivan said he had never known his daughter could sing so beautifully. Apart from practicing at choir rehearsals, the two soloists explained that they practiced by themselves in preparation for the event.
The choir’s second performance was also well received by those who were present at the Veterans Day service. Dressed uniformly in black, the choir sang three songs, God Bless America, God Bless the USA, and The National Anthem. With angelic voices and white doves filling the air, the Veterans Day Service was touching and inspiring, a sign of great gratitude towards those who have served. It is also obvious through these two performances that the Saint Leo choir of 2010 is on a roll and doing a phenomenal job.
