The National Cultural Centre was filled with music yesterday as regional student choirs, comprising the best voices in schools’ choirs in all ten regions, faced off in the first ever inter-region choral contest of the Children’s Mashramani Competition.
Region Ten took top honours, bringing down the house with its renditions of
“Song of Hope” and “Dis Time Nah Lang Time.” The group of singers, resplendent in their black and yellow gowns, proudly walked away with the biggest trophy. The Region Six choir took second place, while the Georgetown choir nabbed the third position.
The competition began with the Region One choir pledging love to its region. Members of the choir sang: “Barima we pledge our love. There is nothing in this world that would take us away from you.” In their second rendition, they stuck to praising their land of birth as they proudly sang “The Song of Guyana’s Children.”
Region Two took a swing and rendered as their first piece “Who is on the Lord’s side.” From the precise movement to its solo pieces, this rendition pleased the ear of the audience. Their second song was “This Land is My Land.”
Region Three came next with a folk medley to remind the audience of our somewhat lost way of storytelling. Their second rendition was “Guyana the Free.”
The Georgetown choir did ear-pleasing renditions of “O Beautiful Guyana” and “Making Music” and was followed by Region Five, which came with interpretive actions for their first two renditions of “Etanamy” and “Beg Pardon Sah.” The two pieces had the audience singing along with the choruses. They then slowed the beat a bit with “My Guyana ElDorado” as their second piece.
Region Seven was next and didn’t fail to bring it, pleasing the crowd with “Hymn for Guyana’s Children.”
The late arrival of Region Six caused them to perform after Region Seven. Their performance depicted a heaven-like scenery which lent to their rendition of “A Song Of Hope.” They stuck to their theme as they changed their formation to perform a song by Alaine, “You and Me.” Their inspiring pieces left the bar high for those that followed.
The other latecomers, Region Four, then finally delivered. Dressed in their white angelic gowns and with well-choreographed movements, they performed “Boat Men” and “O Beautiful Guyana.”
Region Eight then got their chance to give the audience a piece of Potaro Siparuni’s singing talent, rendering their pieces, “Beautiful Guyana” and “The Song of Guyana’s Children,” while dazzling the audience in their green and gold gowns with a detailed cut up the front.
Region Nine looked sharp in their white shirts, red waistcoats and black trousers/skirts. They sang “Change the World” by Eric Clapton.
Before the results were announced a teacher who came with the Region Six choir said it was very good that choral art is being revived in the school system.
Musician, music teacher and attorney Rosemary Benjamin-Noble, delivering the judges’ remarks, said the competition was “very entertaining and promising.” She suggested that teachers pay attention to phrases and the pronunciation and enunciation of words, even in such a competition. The judges were also disappointed that not all the groups were fully harmonized.
However, before leaving the podium, Benjamin-Noble congratulated all the participants and their teachers while urging them to enjoy the presentations and let their joy be seen on stage.
Earlier, Lorraine Barker-King, drama coordinator attached to the Ministry of Education Allied Arts Department, in the welcome and opening remarks, had stated that the Ministry of Education would continue to monitor the regional choirs to ensure that they perform at least twice a year.
The winning choir, she said, will be asked to perform as a national children’s choir year round to ensure the sustenance of the art form. The audience seemed to be in full support of the statement.
The audience was also treated to a recorder rendition by students of St John’s College.
Meanwhile, the scores of the 11-14 calypso category of the Children’s Mashramani Competition held on Thursday saw Aurora Secondary’s Tshanna Cort, with her piece “Mash Is Me Pride,” take first position. She was followed by Michael Small of Rosignol Secondary, with his piece “Turn to Jehovah,” and Royden James of Tutorial Academy third, with his piece “Dem Pickney Dem,”
The curtains come down on the Children’s Mashramani Competition with the costume parade today beginning from 10 am at the Parade Ground.
