by Sam Ottinger

“Welcome to one of the most exciting nights of music anywhere in the Kentucky Indiana area,” choral director Kyle Broady commented last Tuesday night. And, he was absolutely right.

Gospelfest was a fantastic, moving, and very energetic event. The concert style worked perfectly to create an environment of connection among those in the audience. The singing along of audience members would typically be one of irritation, yet somehow they were able to make it feel as though it belongs among the singing voices of the choir.

 

The performance consisted of eight songs. The very first, sung by the chamber choir of JHS singers, started off slow with a soft piano sound of “I Believe,” yet it soon grew into an energetic piece as the sizzles of a cymbal joined, and the audience was encouraged to clap along. 

Following this piece was a favorite among the crowd, as well as one favorite of my own, known as “He Heard My Cry.” Senior Luna Guyse began with a solo accompanied by similar soft piano notes and then transitioned into a harmony and cymbal climb. The crowd cheered nearly after every other lyric.

The next two songs, “You Should Know” and “My Soul Has Been Anchored in the Lord,” were sung by the gospel ensemble, with solos from Guyse, freshman Vivienne Diehl, sophomore Presley Inzer, junior Nairah Jadusingh and junior Joshua Broady.

A very special quality that I noticed during Gospelfest was not just the opportunity of connecting with our community, but also being able to connect with our own family. During “My Soul Has Been Anchored in the Lord,” Roosevelt Escalante invited a surprised Broady to come up and sing alongside Broady’s son. 

“He [Dr. Roosevelt] wanted to do it so I could sing with my son, which was pretty special,” Broady said when asked how he felt at that moment.

Before the final song, “The Blood Still Works,” Dr. Escalante was able to perform with his daughter.

Both pieces didn’t just have beautifully sung vocals, but also the warmth of family being able to share the joys of singing together. The way Dr. Escalante’s daughter’s performance flowed into the final song felt as though that warmth was reaching out to encapsulate the audience with it, as the song once again allowed the audience to join along in clapping to the melody.

When going back to the song after Broady came up to sing, “Going up a Yonder,” there is another very special quality. This Gospelfest did not just include JHS choir students but also two other choirs, including the Southern Indiana Children’s Choir.

This was a brand new organization, performing for the very first time, consisting of children in second to fifth grade in Clark and Floyd County. They were selected from their elementary schools by their music specialist or teacher and had rehearsal only once a week.

This in itself made it special for how talented these young kids are, but the conductor who helped teach them their skills is none other than Leslie Gabhart, who used to be a choir teacher here at JHS, and she even was the choir teacher for Broady.

The other choir that combined forces for this Gospelfest was Borden Junior- Senior High School. All three choirs joined together to perform the jazzy piece “Bless the Lord.” Each choir was able to be powerful, yet not overwhelm the others.

“Bless the Lord” had to be my favorite piece for the whole concert. Throughout the song everyone just seemed to work well with one another. The live band, the JHS choir, the Borden choir and the Southern Indiana Children’s choir really showed off their talent with this piece.

The following piece, “No One Like You” – sung by the JHS and Borden choirs – returned to a slower, softer start. This song may not have been the most energetic one, but that does not mean it was even close to being boring. As a soloist started the lyrics off, there was a really captivating way that they performed. For after the third line the singers were able to raise their pitch on the word “me” to this enchanting sound.

For something that started more than two decades ago, the emotional energy created in that auditorium was as young and thriving as ever. The love that could be felt in that room, for the people and for the music, was something I haven’t felt after any other school event.