Album Launch!

We've been quiet...or so it seems! Agapella's spent many Sundays over the past two years either in the recording studio or at practices to refine our repertoire.  In recent weeks, we're all geared up for The Day - Launch of our second Album, The Whole Truth in Parts.

Let us know if you'd be joining us here.

Tour de KL

After a whirlwind weekend of gigs, you'd expect Agapella to be drained, depleted and defeated, but the reverse is true. Agapella returned to Singapore on Sunday evening enthused, energised and ever praising of God's goodness upon us.

      

Group photo with members of the International Christian Fellowship @ Lim Kok Wing University.

Mervin, a host who's second to none, looking into our every need to make sure we're well-taken care off on Saturday and Sunday, including the preparation of our caffeine fixes.

 Even though it wasn't the first time we were performing across the causeway in Malaysia, it was Agapella's maiden 'international tour' of sorts. We were hence encouraged when Pastor Brian Ranjan of Putera Aman Assembly remarked how our sound was of 'international standard'! But we know God wants nothing less than the best from us earthen vessels, through which He works wonders to minister and bless those we bring our music to.

Here are members of Agapella in praise of God for what He has done...

Uma
- The souls that were saved and the lives that were touched by our ministry - people responded willingly and openly. If Agapella had just been there for one life to be touched, it would have been worth it.
- For all the invitations Agapella got to go back, it showed that we are an effective ministry and that God is using us mightily to do His will and others are a testimony to that.
Dorcas
- The most exciting thing was that people were touched by the Holy Spirit and made decisions for Christ. Also that the church there was so warm in receiving us - truly a reflection of the wider body life!
Chris & Colin
- The fervency in prayer of the African students and church congregations - so stirring and encouraging.
Chris
- That God gave me strength to perform despite my strained back not allowing me to stand up most of the time.
Daniel Loke
- The love for God and his ministry demonstrated by Pastor Brian and his team. They give their best to the Lord in terms of evangelising and reaching out to others.
- Thank God that we pulled together and did 4 gigs in 3 days despite late nights and tiredness and morning syndromes; praise Him for His sustenance and strength!
Don
- The prayers of the African students and the hospitality and kindness of Pastor Brian and his team.
Si Cheng
- Despite the early mornings and many gigs, none of us had sore throats and my lips didn't fall off. Was thinking about it and I realised this is the most I've ever percussed in a short period of time and I think the same goes in terms of singing for many of Agapella's members. Also the fellowship of everyone in the group and Pastor Brian and team while we were there. Was a fun trip! Was truly a privilege to minister with the church there.
Brenda
- The blessings they gave us just as much, if not more, than what we gave them. Despite being sick and having off-the-stave notes, I managed to hit most of them!
Wendy
- God's grace, protection and sustenance before and during the trip. When we went out to share His love and blessings, we were very much blessed ourselves through the passion, hospitality and support shown by Pastor Brian and his team.
- The decisions made by the 10 or so to follow Christ/re-dedicate their lives to Him
- How people from various nationalities and cultures come together to worship One God!
Stanley
- God's continual empowerment upon Agapella to keep testifying for Him, not just in Singapore, but beyond, and not just to one people, but all - red, and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight!
- Christian love demonstrated by our brothers and sisters at Lim Kok Wing University and the church.
- Unity, single-mindedness and grace among members of Agapella.
- Journey mercies to and from Kuala Lumpur.

Agapella Loaded & Ready!

So what's next for Agapella?

Let it be known that we just can't stay silent, for we must keep singing for His joy has come!

Stay tuned for more developments on the horizon on Agapella's Facebook page.

On the First Day of December...

Christmas came early for residents in Toa Payoh last Saturday when Agapella threw ourselves into the heartlands for our first evening of carolling for 2012! It was a thin crowd that grew to a moderate size. Considering the BB Share-A-Gift shed was parked right outside the entrance of Courts Superstore, with Cash Converters to one side of it and F&B outlets on the other, we were up against stiff competition.

But like the best things in life, listening to Agapella was free! Two women clapped along to our tunes, sometimes falling out of rhythm and threatening to throw us off. But we otherwise appreciated the crowd that deliberately stopped and crowded round to listen to the music of the season. We even saw some lips in the audience mouthing the lyrics to the more familiar carols.

Prior to our engagement with the Boys' Bridgade, Agapella lent our voices at the Thanksgiving Carnival organised by Salvation Army's Grace Haven in Serangoon. It was a challenging set given that food and drink stalls stood further up the street from the stage. We also had to put up with the action and noise at the dunking pool mere metres to the right of the stage. Other temporary tenants in the field included a mini Viking ride that whisked up and down and children tumbling down party inflatables shrieking with excitement. We were glad to be part of the atmosphere nonetheless.

In between gigs, Agapella retreated to a delightful gelato hideaway called Alfero at MacPherson lane. It's so obscure and tucked away under a block of HDB flats that you wouldn't expect to see an Italian guy making gelato in the cafe's kitchen on a Saturday afternoon. Now if this were a food blog, Alfero would get our recommendation with an A(gapella) Star rating! Try the 'pistachio' flavour or 'snow white' if you so love milk.

AGAPELLA available for Bookings for Christmas 2012

It’s touted as the most wonderful time of the year – CHRISTMAS! 

A season when Salvation Army bells go ring-a-ling alongside cashier tills in the decked-out halls of crowded malls. 

A season where gifts are exchanged, well-wishes traded, when joyful notes swell of that first noel. 

 This December, have an Agapella Christmas with us!

Agapella is now open for bookings by malls, associations and churches for Christmas 2012 as we celebrate the Christ of Christmas! Email us today at agapella@gmail.com!

Can you hear it?

We're two months into 2012, and Agapella has been busy....we are pregnant with album and counting down the days, although the whole truth is, it's still in parts. But in the meantime, until we hear the pitter-patter of CD covers closing, here's a little teaser for you...enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G64LWIOtWNU

In other news, the Pocky Count currently stands at 143 flavours.

Christmus Agapellus

Agapella's apparent silence in 2011 must be deafening; barely a whisper nor whimper from us most year through. So on the first day of December 2011 and even as we countdown to Agapella's 9th Christmas season, it ought to be said that Agapella hasn't been all that silent.

You see...we've been spending some time in the studio. Need we tell you what comes out of those soundproof spaces. Yup, hang in there. We promise to make up for our relatively quieter year in the year ahead. More details in the coming months.

It'll be a low-key Christmas season this year because we've not had as much time to rehearse our Christmas repertoire due to rehearsals and recordings towards you-know-what. But we couldn't resist taking up a couple of intimate closed-door gigs with children as an audience. We know these kids are going to have a ball of a time and we're excited as well. We've also got plans to share our music with unsuspecting passersby and in places one least expects. Where we will be is anyone's guess.


Agapella's been privileged to have been invited by the Singapore Botanic Gardens to participate in decorating a tropical tree as part of the much-anticipated Trees of the World Light-Up. This event which will officially launched this Sat, 3 Dec 2011 will last till 1 Jan 2012. It's your chance to walk through the beautiful gardens and soak in a spectacle of tropical trees lining the footpaths. These trees are adorned with an array of ornaments decorated by various organisations and groups and will be lit up from this Saturday. If you're heading down, be sure to bring your camera and videocams!

Here's a sneak peek of the 'Christmus Agapellus' with the decor team comprising Brenda, Namiko, Uma, Dorcas, Dan, Ernest and Stanley with contributions and prayers by our other members.



More photos and updates on Agapella's Facebook page.

A fascinating blog: The Persistence of Song

http://thepersistenceofsong.wordpress.com

About this blog:

For every melody we encounter, worldview is singing alto. And too often, we ignore this accompaniment; instead, we prefer to demarcate our music morally, placing song x in the category “Christian” and song y in the category “secular.”

When we encounter music, we need to decipher and diagnose the worldview. What aspects of the worldview are helpful and edifying? What aspects of the worldview do we disagree with, and why do we find these aspects disagreeable?

The Persistence of Song is a venue for this inspection of worldviews. I aim to foster dialogue on (ir)religious music. You’ll find me writing often about explicitly religious music, very often critiquing “contemporary Christian music.” But I’m also very interested in how other musicians, not necessarily affiliated with this market, make religious expressions (sometimes quite unknowingly).

Our times call for careful Christian thinking and conversation on a host of issues. The Persistence of Song seeks to fulfill that niche for the art form of song.

- Jason Adkins