Year-end Reflections (part 1)

I know that Christmas day isn’t even here yet, but AGAPELLA has actually finished our Christmas season for the year! :) It was quite hectic for us the last few weeks, but lots of fun at the same time. We were once again conscious of God’s grace, strength and guidance for the group and this ministry that He established.

Let me kick off our reflections by going back to the very first entry in our blog… about our first Christmas gig on 15 October, at the National Arts Council’s Acappella Attacks! programme at West Coast Park. Up till then we had been mainly tied up with singing at the various weddings of our members (a quarter of us has gotten hitched this year)! It was simply great to be a part of those celebrations. I think we started seriously rehearsing our Christmas repertoire in late August, and so Acappella Attacks! was a sort of ‘test run’ for us.

The event was held outdoors under a tent right by the West Coast MacDonald’s. We drew a crowd of more than 100, as far as I can see… not only folks that we had invited, but also people from inside Mac’s, kids who were there to play Frisbee and football, and various joggers and picnicking families.

It was very good fun. We did our standard songs and carols but didn’t feel confident enough to try two new songs we’ve been working on, namely the Kings Singers’ “Mary’s Boy Child” and the Take 6 version of “Hark the Herald”. I felt that the audience interaction and banter was very good, though. We were greatly encouraged by the positive reaction of Simone’s family members and some 10-year old kids who stopped their football game to sit down and listen to us. There were also other friends there, whose smiles obviously indicated that they were enjoying the early start to Christmas. Uma told the audience a story, and shared a message about the love of God and the Christmas season. She is a wonderful speaker with natural stage presence and I think we ought to put her on the spot more often! :)

Well, after the gig we stayed back a bit to chat with family, friends and so on. Sherm and I played footie with the kids. They were very sociable and a treat to be with… they even demanded that every member of AGAPELLLA autograph their football! Smart kids-- I'm sure that it'll fetch a fortune one day....

We ended off what was a very pleasant day with dinner at Sakuraya, at Ginza plaza nearby. I must say that I personally felt a little under-prepared for the gig, especially since we hadn’t intensively rehearsed with mikes for a long time. But we got excellent support from the NAC and the organisers, Go-getters. Most of all, I praise the Lord for helping us to overcome our weaknesses, and helping us to connect with the crowd. It was a great confidence booster for us and a wonderful way for us to kick off our season. I pray that the seeds of the Good News of Christmas will take root and bloom in the hearts of everyone who heard us.

- Aargafella


About A Cappella Attacks! (info from the National Arts Council, 2004)

Launched by the National Parks Board and National Arts Council on 18th December 2004, A Cappella Attacks! is a new series of free performances at West Coast Park, presenting performances by Singapore’s very own talented a cappella groups.

A Cappella : Singing without the use of instruments, shows only the prowess of the voices and the creativity of the vocals, mind and body to perform music often performed with a band. It’s a new and exciting phenomenon!

The subsequent series will take place on the 3rd Saturday of every month, through 2005.