LETTER TO THE EDITOR,
By David D. Hambleton
It was my extreme pleasure to spend Sunday evening at
What
a show it was! Conductor Nick Nespoli is to receive due credit for the discipline,
timing, and artful use of the elusive element of silence with his nearly
100-student group. Pianist George Stone
played a solid and well-ordered backdrop for the young voices to shine
from. And shine, they did. The great praise goes to the enthusiastic
students who sang a great concert for us.
Their talent, training, and temperance paid off for the hundreds who
were more than entertained by the program.
Having
spent the last six years in Europe listening to and participating in producing
some of the travelling choral groups there, I was truly amazed and inspired by
this presentation – an on a couple of levels.
Amazed, I was, at the vocal preparedness, the raw ability demonstrated
by this group of young people – and even more so to learn they had only three
weeks to learn and prepare this offering.
Inspiring was the enthusiasm of these kids to perform, and not just to
perform any music, but this music…
Maestro
Nespoli told me after the concert, “We could never do
this program in Norfolk Public Schools.”
You see, I was inspired – and tearful most of the concert – to hear
Jesus Christ proclaimed from opening to close of the concert. Their excitement was apparent in the Parish
Hall afterward by the same kids who’d just sung it. It is Christmas season in
We
are a Christian nation, founded by Christian people here on this very land
where we now stand. We have a great
history of tolerance for religious freedom and I encourage and support that
pillar of our republic. It is our
Judeo-Christian morality and work ethic coupled with that tolerance that have
given us the economic prowess to become the most powerful nation in the world –
even in our relative infancy. It is our
responsibility to teach our children about the spiritual heritage we have in this
country – and not just the vile parts like
I
have two daughters and am concerned about our education system. I listen to what news we get overseas. And I take newsletters from
The
popular flavors of Outcome-Based Education (by other names, of course) and the
dogmatic teaching of unfounded theories of evolution exclusive of Creation
(which makes itself more apparent the more responsible scientists study it with
open minds) have become the rule of the day.
This concert shows me that Christ is alive and well in our public
schools – at least where concerned parents and citizens have remained in touch
with their schools and involved with their kids’ education process.
What
a wonderful Christmas gift I have received.
I will return to
To
the staff and students of Western Branch, and the hosts at