[New York] The Flower of the Music Camp! The Music Festival Concert

2016 Gracias Music Festival

On the 3rd of April (Sun), the flower of the 2016 Gracias Music Festival, “The Music Festival Concert” was opened in Mahanaim, New York.

As time ticked towards the start of the performance at 5pm, people began to turn their footsteps towards the Main Hall of Mahanaim.

There were various types of people who came to watch the “Music Festival Concert”; there were those who were invited by friends, there were people who had previously seen the Easter Cantata and wanted to to see a different type of performance, and there were also those who came to Mahanaim regularly as fans of the Gracias Choir. It was evident that there was an ever-growing and established fan base of the Gracias Choir and Mahanaim Music students in New York.

First of all, it was the choir performance of the Gracias Music High School (Daejun) that began the concert. Although the innocent voices of the students were not quite professional yet, the clarity and the purity of their voices awakened the hearts of all the audience.

Afterwards, the charismatic and magnificent orchestra performed Johann Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus” (The Bat), followed by the Solo and Duet stages that was a collaboration between the Gracias Music School students and the Gracias Choir.

The Final stage was decorated by all the orchestra members and all choir members of the Gracias Choir, Gracias Middle and High School students. The sheer number of performers and their music combined was overwhelming. Lastly, the majestic and vibrant music of the Choir and the high-standard of music blew the audience away.

Especially, what was truly amazing was the colourful and crisp harmony that was achieved, despite the scale of the performance.

“It was truly wonderful. I had such a wonderful time and their voices were like angels. I am very happy to be here today. All the songs in the concert were so precious but personally, my favourite was the “Letter Duet”. The voices of the two Sopranos were exquisite and beautiful” – Kookie

“Actually, I came to the Music Concert held in Mahanaim last year, as well as the year before that. The “Dear Neighbour” letter was often delivered to my shop. This time, my friend, Caroline, received a letter and went to see the Easter Cantata. After that she heard that there was a performance again today, so she invited me. Although I missed the Easter performance, it is such a relief that I was able to attend today’s performance. Every time I come to Mahanaim, I always go home, having listened to some very good music. The orchestra and the choir were both the best, it was truly amazing. The choir performance of the young students and the duet of the song, “Potion of Love” were just a few of those that were truly amazing.  -Lemie

Every time the audience comes to see a concert at Mahanaim, they can see the students who are improving and whose expressions become more expansive every time. This was a performance that exposed the high standard of music at the Mahanaim Music School and the wonderful programme of the Gracias Music Festival that aims to nurture and grow the best musicians of the world. We cannot help but be excited for the gems that will be arise under the name of Gracias.

There are 191 people participating in the Music Festival in New York, Mahanaim, from the 30th of March to the 22nd of April, including the Gracias Choir, the Gracias Music School, and the Music Preparatory Middle and High Schools in Daejeon, South Korea.