12 December 2009 will be a day to remember as the assembled host of the West Country’s finest gospel music talent joyfully delivered “Handel’s Messiah – Soulful Celebration” to a full house at the Colston Hall! The production exceeded the expectations of artists and audience alike as the venue buzzed from start to finish to the sights and sounds of every performance from the dynamic dancing of Dunamis to the rousing, roof lifting rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus.
It’s been an incredible journey with months of hard work culminating in a fitting tribute to the dedication, commitment and sheer determination of all who contributed to making the event an overwhelming success. We thank God for the vision and inspiration spurring Renewal on to deliver this ambitious project.
Each time when called to the stage Renewal turned in a sparkling performance under the leadership of Kim our inspirational Choral Director on top form. The lively Renewal “house band” also rose to the occasion, expressively supporting each and every singer under the steady leadership of Music Director Philip Barclay complemented by exuberant contributions from Nigel Ipinson-Fleming on keyboards supporting a number of fine vocal performances.
The whole event was well paced and rounded off by Bernard Morris – the perfect compere for the occasion. Thank you and well done to all who contributed to the resounding success. Let’s all look forward now to what 2010 has in store for Renewal Choir and friends.
Special thanks to Leilani Winslade and Tânia Neves of Lollipop Studios UK who captured a few golden moments on camera. Click on the link below to view the picture gallery and obtain your keepsake images of the memorable evening.
Joanne began singing from the age of 5 and like so many talented singers it all started with singing in church. She has not just kept her gift for gospel singing to herself and her church community but has extended her talents to inspire an up and coming generation of young people at the Bristol Metropolitan Academy where she runs a Gospel Choir.
Joanne uses her talents in a wide variety of projects from singing at weddings and prison services to making recordings and song writing. She is no stranger to singing in public and welcomes the opportunity to make her unique vocal contribution by performing a soul stirring piece to elevate the audience and herself with this demanding yet smooth flowing song making the most of her vocal qualities and personality.
For the members of the group Inseason, singing is in the blood and it’s only natural to want to share the ‘good news’ in this way. The group have been singing together for the past 2 years they see that making their contribution on the night as a wonderful opportunity to be part of this vibrant and exciting event and the chance of bringing joy to the hearts of those hearing us.
Ikay is from Bristol and has been singing for around 12 years. This rising gospel music star has recently been offered a recording deal with Integrity Records. Once he heard about the Handel’s Messiah Soulful Celebration he was really keen to be a part of this exciting event.
Miles lives in the South West, Bristol. His work has featured in several museum exhibitions in Bristol, he is a West Country slam champion. One of Bristol cities cultural poets. He frequently invited onto programs on BBC Radio Bristol. He has been commissioned by ITV and BBC to feature his poetry in various TV programmes, one of the most notable was performing at Jessie Jackson’s visit to Bristol. His most recent commission, was a poem reacting to the inauguration of President Barack Obama which he attended, written and performed for The Politics Show BBC South West. He conducts poetry workshops in schools and community organisations and is currently working on a book of poems entitled The Orchard Road a project which combines his poetry with graphic arts
Celestine has a natural jazz/soul vocal style which moves effortlessly through different genres of music – “a singer with a really hauntingly beautiful voice” and “an inner beauty that shines through”. Celestine has collaborated with the likes of Gary Barlow (Take That), Stargate (Norway), Tony Moore (Kashmir Klub) and Spooky (Charlie May/Duncan Forbes), Sonic Syringe, Garage Gospel. Celestine is at her best when performing live – see her video performance of the classic ‘Feeling Good’ on (www.myspace.com/celestineonline).
To hear a different style from Celestine log on to www.myspace.com/thebandspooky for the Progressive House Track ‘Strange Addiction’. D J Mag reviewed “No doubt here this will be a future classic on all fronts with the very lovely vocals of Celestine .” Celestine’s past performances have included: • Royal Variety Performance in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Charles • BBC TV Star for a Night Grand Final Winner • The Elaine Show – BBC TV Scotland • Cancer Research Show at The Royal Albert Hall • The Rainbow Trust Ball, Grosvenor Hotel, London • Royal Marriott Hotel, Bristol • Bel Air House Hotel, Dulwich • Performances with The John Fenlon Band at Jongleurs, Bristol • African Fusion – British Empire & Commonwealth Museum, Bristol • The Colston Hall Stage, Queen Square • Exeter Respect Festiva. Celestine has been singing from the age of 9 and is looking forward to participating in the Handel’s Messiah Soulful Celebration where she will have the opportunity to work with other talented artist from the area and preform with the Renewal Choir.
The University of the West of England (UWE) Gospel Choir was established 4 years ago and over the years has seen many students and university staff engaging in events all over the city. Performances have included taking part in the Abolition 200 service at Bristol Cathedral in 2007 along with Renewal Choir, and the choir was one of the supporting artist at Renewal’s 2007 performance of Handel’s Messiah Soulful Celebration. The Gospel Choir also performed at the CPA showcase at St George’s, Bristol and see this year’s Handel’s Messiah Soulful Celebration as a great opportunity to perform at the Colston Hall and also have the opportunity to experience being a part of a large Gospel Choir for the Hallelujah Chorus finale.
As part of the Handel’s Messiah – Soulful Celebration we are incorporating a special community participation project for the concert event finale Hallelujah Chorus. Our “Hallelujah Chorus” project actively promotes the opportunity for local people to “sign-up” to a series of performance development workshops to prepare them to sing in a 100 voice mass choir in Renewal’s 2009 Christmas concert event finale on Saturday 12 December.
Click Here to sign up for the 100 voice mass choir or for more info.
Photo by Walter Ricks
The St Mary Redcliffe & Temple School Gospel Choir have been performing now for 6½ years under the direction of Mrs Maureen Morris a teacher at the school. During this time the choir have sung at a number of local Christian outreach events. More recently the choir has performed at the illustrious St Georges on Brandon Hill in a gospel showcase event in March 2009. The choir thoroughly enjoyed performing previously with Renewal choir 2 years ago and now and are looking forward to being a part of the event celebrations.
