Handbell choir treats public

The harmonious United Baptist Handbell Choir of Trinidad and Tobago gave the public a treat when they performed outside of the Peace Memorial Hall last Friday.

Speaking with Searchlight, choir leader Nelini Mohammed said this was the first time that the Trinidadian group performed outside of their home country and said that she felt absolutely welcomed by Vincentians.{{more}}

The choir leader pointed out that although they were mainly invited to perform at the Apostolic Faith Church in Bequia last Saturday, they also wanted to give persons on the mainland a mini-concert.

Mohammed explained, “We are a non-profit choir made up of members of the Baptist faith from all over Trinidad and Tobago and although we do small concerts throughout our country, the major repertoires are at Christmas and Easter. So we are fresh from our Easter performance and we thought that St Vincent and the Grenadines would be the perfect place to have our debut performance outside our country while also getting some rest.”

The choir leader mentioned that the United Baptist Handbell Choir of Trinidad and Tobago was started by an American Missionary 10 years ago with the aim of spreading the gospel through their music in their churches but admitted that they have now broadened their scope to other denominations.

Mohammed who believes that music is a powerful medium said that too many young people were being influenced by negative music.

She pointed out, “A lot of the songs we perform are religious pieces that you can sing along to, so it brings them in the mindset of worshiping Christ. It is a talent that God has given to us so we are just using it for him, but we want to see more young people get involved in something positive. I know that not everyone is religious but once you find a positive outlet and you occupy yourself with it, it is going to make you a well rounded person.”

Plans are being made to have the United Baptist Handbell Choir of Trinidad and Tobago return for a performance at the closing of the Digicel Gospel Fest show.