“Wow,” echoed a voice from the back of the hall. In any other hall, Mr. Hall’s comment would not have been heard, but in the perfect acoustics of Carnegie Hall you can literally hear a pin drop. And as a description of what the debut performance of the Annie Moses Band and the New American Choir and Orchestra at Carnegie Hall was like, Mr. Hall’s exclamation sums up the experience for everyone: “Wow”.

From January 12 through the 15th, four hundred people from every corner of the United States converged on the Sheraton Hotel near Times Square, NYC to prepare a night of outstanding music. Every generation was represented from 12 year old violinists from the Annie Moses Band’s annual Fine Arts Summer Academy to experienced choral vocalists entering their 80th decade. What united everyone was a common goal: to obey the command of the Psalmist to ‘make His praise glorious!’.

Hours of feverish preparations (and two evenings of great fun and fellowship) bonded this wonderful group of musicians and singers into a outstanding choir and orchestra led by the legendary conductor, Camp Kirkland.

Headlining the event were the Juilliard trained performers of the Annie Moses Band in their Carnegie Hall debut. ‘It has been a long journey for us,’ said Robin, the mother and visionary of the Annie Moses Band. ‘I can remember arriving in New York City for the first time in 1999. Even then, the Lord was moving to bring us to this place and time.’

A distinctive calling set this performance apart for the Band and the musicians and vocalists joining them: to send a message to the world that the arts exist to glorify the Creator. “We see this as the first night of many nights to come when the truth of God and the good news of Jesus will be presented with excellence on the most renowned stages in the world,’ said Alex, the Band’s violist. ‘The performers here are on the front line, bringing an artistically and spiritual profound presentation of Jesus’ Kingdom to New York City and the world.’

The concert itself proved spectacular, ending with two encores and a standing ovation. A litany of FASA alumni were also featured in a rollicking medley entitled “FASA Follies” that climaxed in a rousing version of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?”. From the powerful opening song “Glory Giver”, accompanied by full choir and orchestra, to the spell binding Ralph Vaughan Williams inspired “Ancient Paths” to the climactic reprise of the theme song, “Make His Praise Glorious”, the Annie Moses Band and the New American Choir and Orchestra electrified the most legendary hall in music.

Behind the scenes, watching with satisfaction was the indispensable man, Roy Hayes and his team at True North Productions who organized and planned the event. True North Productions exists to bring outstanding talent to outstanding venues in order to edify the Church and bring the Gospel to an ever wider audience. After the rousing performance at Carnegie, everyone could agree: “Mission Accomplished”.

December 14 found us once again in Dayton, OH, this time completing AMB work at Caribou Coffee at the mall there. We enjoyed some fellowship together, working as we burned some of our favorite Christmas mixes and sipped our favorite drinks and taking breaks by walking across the street to the bookstore to peruse the aisles.

Mid-afternoon we left for Fort Wayne, Indiana. We read, listened to Christmas music, conversed with one another, and, at long length, found our destination, complete with a warm and inviting Panera Bread for supper, and a comfy bed to rest our heads upon.

~Camille

Well, tomorrow takes us to Dayton, OH, where we’ll be playing at FBC Kettering on Tuesday. We’re looking forward to it! The drive’s a relatively short one, so hopefully we’ll have the chance to fit in some Christmas shopping. Gotta squeeze it in where you can on the road! God has been very, very good to us throughout this trip. Protecting us along every drive and blessing us with such kind, hospitable hosts. We are truly thankful and looking forward with great anticipation for the 7 concerts between now and Christmas!! So, with that, I bid you a very good night!

~Gretchen

We had a delicious lunch at the theater’s own picturesque restaurant, the Boiler Room.  The restaurant was graced with the prettiest Christmas tree to date, all decorated in scarlet ribbons and ornaments.  This was only the foretaste of the beautiful decor to be seen in the theater itself.  A towering tree in the foyer, adorned with turquoise and gold, a theater wreathed in lights and ribbons and holly and trees, a shining grand piano in the midst of it all, and scarlet velvet curtains joined to create a most beautiful atmosphere.

The concert that night was blessed and beautiful with all the Christmas surroundings, the full house, and the lovely beloved music.  We were so glad to be able to play for you all and meet all you Smoky Mountain natives!

Our next concert is Warren, OH on the 11th in the Packard Music Hall at 6:00 PM.  Hope to see ya’ll out there!

~Camille

After a bit of necessity shopping and then resting at the hotel, we returned to the church for soundcheck, rehearsal, a delicious supper, and then the long awaited-for concert.  The stage was decorated with real trees, silvery white, reminding us of the stark beauty of midwinter.

We played for a packed house, full of friends from all the many FASAs that we have held in Raleigh, NC.  It was such a blessing to see all of you!  We are surrounded by such sweet and loving people.  We love you all!

Tomorrow we play in Franklin, NC at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.  Hope to see ya’ll out there!

~Camille

Today is Day 7 of our 2011 Christmas Tour, and it has been a day full of fun activity.  We played at Harrisonburg Church of the Nazarene in Harrisonburg, VA, a beautiful town nestled between miles of rolling green hills and wintry forests.

We had been to the church a few years before, so it was awesome getting to visit and talk with old friends!  We were also fed some extremely delicious food.  We’ve decided that the only thing that makes New Years’ Resolutions special is Christmas Tour Feasting. 

Then at 7:00 PM we performed a fun concert for a house full of people, and were even blessed with snow flurries outside when we played ‘Let It Snow’.  God’s humor.    And now we’re back in the hotel and about to sleep before an early morning drive to Raleigh, NC for a 7:00 PM concert tomorrow evening at Raleigh First Assembly.  Good night!

~Camille

We pulled into Heritage Park Alliance Church, where we met our very friendly hosts and hostesses of the day.  After loading in, working, sound-checking, and practicing, we hurried to the hotel to get dressed and prepped.  Soon we came back to the church for an utterly delicious supper of roasted harvesty foods: sweet butternut squash, roasted mushrooms, carrots, & peppers, rotisserie chicken, and other such delectables.

Thus fed and warmed by good food and hot coffee and tea, we prayed and emerged to a packed house for our first concert in Canada.  The room was full of Christmas trees, garlands, wreaths, holly, ornaments, lights, and other accents of red and green, and the atmosphere, coupled with all the Christmas music, was delightful.

After the concert we went out to the tables, where we were able to meet a lot of new Canadians friends, with whom we shared accents, customs, and our kindred similarities.  Once the audience had departed to their different abodes, we were fed a bountiful array of berries, cherries, and cheeses, were thus fortified enough to tear down, and returned to the hotel in a heavenly flurry of thick, white snow.

And so ended our first day in Canada, north of the border, south of Detroit.  See if you can figure that one out.   We hope to see you all in Harrisonburg, VA at the Harrisonburg First Church of the Nazarene on December 7 at 7:00 PM!  Merry Christmas and Happy Advent!

~Camille

Afterwards we were blessed to eat some delicious food and get some good sleep at the hotel, then back to the church for concert preparation and, finally, the concert itself.  We were again joined by the Westgate Chapel choir, which was beautiful and fun to sing with, and got to see a lot of new people as well as folks from last night’s showing.  We especially loved our volunteer singers Larry and Mary Noel, who absolutely sizzled with showmanship.  Thanks for making our day!

We loved getting to meet all of the audience at the tables!  Thanks for all the friendliness and welcome, Ohio folks!  After we visited with you all, the guys loaded out while we held little baby David and played piano for him, and then we came back to the hotel, where we had a late night snack of honey-crisp apples and clementines.  Delicious!

Tomorrow we’ll head to Windsor, Ontario, Canada for a 7:00 PM concert at Heritage Park Alliance Church.  Hope to see you all there!

~Camille

After soundcheck, we were treated to a delicious lunch, and then zipped back to the hotel to rest up and prep for tonight’s concert.  This venue is special because we get to perform with Westgate Chapel’s wonderful choir, so mid-afternoon we met up with all of those sweet people to rehearse.  Then we went on to yet another delicious meal, and then back to the green room for prayer and preparation.

The concert was a blast.  We love playing Christmas music.  Period.  And the added beauty of the choir just set everything at a greater height tonight.  The crowd was awesome too.  Thanks for the energy everybody!

We hope to see you tomorrow at Westgate Chapel for worship services at 9 AM & 10:30 AM , and then a second concert tomorrow night at 6:00 PM.  Merry Christmas!

~Camille