Last year, one of the winners of the competition was a group called Vocal Majority and we were honored to have them as guest singers on today's Music & the Spoken Word. From Vocal Majority's website, here's just a little bit about them:
Imagine a group of 100+ men volunteering from all walks of life with varying degrees of musical talent and experience, with hearts full of joy, excitement and passion for singing. Call them Vocal Majority, then be prepared for an extraordinary musical experience that has touched tens of thousands of listeners around the world. Our tagline says it best: we're "pure harmony." Over the years, Vocal Majority has released more than two-dozen recordings that feature their diverse musical repertoire that spans from sacred and inspirational, patriotic, time-honored barbershop, jazz, Broadway, pops, and Christmas. They have also medaled in every international competition in which they have competed.
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| Vocal Majority - On today's broadcast |
The Tabernacle Choir started today's program with two numbers, then Vocal Majority did two of their own, and then the program ended with both groups singing "All Creatures of Our God and King." It was great to have them there and the audience (which included many who had attended the conference) sure applauded with extra enthusiasm at the end of the performance.
As a side note, at Thursday's rehearsal, Mack told us that we should be prepared to sing the last number, memorized, just in case Vocal Majority showed up having it memorized. I think some people in the choir were hoping that luck would shine down upon them and Vocal Majority wouldn't come prepared to sing it by memory. Well... no such luck :) They were indeed prepared, so many in the choir were scrambling to cram the words into their heads during rehearsal and during the break. I was reminded of the scripture "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" (or have to cram)! While I had studied the words myself, I felt I was just barely prepared--kind of like one of those houses made out of playing cards and the slightest movement or breeze would topple the whole thing. Not liking that feeling, I vowed to move from barely prepared, to fully prepared, next time.
I was talking with Willy afterwards on the ride home about the miracle of Music and the Spoken Word each week. He brought up the fact that we have so little time to prepare for this weekly performance and sometimes during the rehearsals, we wonder "is this really going to come together? Can we maintain or even improve upon our reputation? Will we remember all of the things that were pointed out during rehearsal and actually implement them so our international audience both hears and feels music that is hopefully approaching near perfection?"
At any rate, I was grateful to be a part of this experience today, was grateful to share the stage with these talented singers, and was grateful for the spoken word message today that ended with this most important reminder: "No, you can’t do barbershop alone, and you can’t do life alone either. We need each other. We need friendship and fellowship. We all do better, we all live happier and more peaceful lives, when we are in harmony with others."
Amen!
Until next time, God be with you.
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| Vocal Majority. Don't their faces just show how excited they are to be there? The men of the Tabernacle Choir could probably learn a thing or two and make some improvements! |
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