New Zealand choir to give concerts here

The Herald

FARRELL, SHARON October 02, 2008 07:08 pm

— The New Zealand Community Gospel Choir of Hamilton will give concerts Saturday at two Shenango Valley churches.
The visitors will sing at 5 p.m. in Hour of Power Full Gospel Tabernacle, 946 Beechwood Ave., Farrell, and at 7:30 p.m. in St. John’s Episcopal Church, 226 W. State St., Sharon.
A reception will follow the concert at St. John’s. The choir will also sing at St. John’s 10 a.m. service Sunday.
Offerings will be received.
Wendy Middlemiss, a former St. John’s choir member, sang with the group last year while on sabbatical in that country.
Ms. Middlemiss will meet the choir in New York and sing with the group during its tour.
Members of the interdenominational choir are drawn from many different churches and religious backgrounds. The director is a Samoan-born woman and the choir is known throughout New Zealand for its warm and reverent sound of praise.
The group performs Maori, African and traditional Gospel and some traditional hymns.
Members range in age from 16 to 60. Forty to 60 members are touring with the group.
Performances are scheduled in Riverside Church, Manhattan; Salvation Army, Harlem; and Syracuse and Rochester, all New York; and Portland, Maine.
On its way back to New Zealand, the choir will end its tour in Honolulu.
Eastern German brass band in Sharpsville
SHARPSVILLE — The Eastern German Methodist Conference Brass Band will perform at 7 p.m. Monday in Sharpsville United Methodist Church, 148 Shenango St.
The band that visits the Western Pennsylvania Annual conference is a group of players from German churches that started its work in 1975.
Their ages range from 20 to 75.
An offering will be received to benefit the band. Fellowship will follow in the church’s Jackson Hall.