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ENLARGE
From left, Jonah, Rogers and Derrick of the African Children's Choir thrum out the beats and sing along at Roseburg's New Life Christian Center Thursday night.
On the Web ...
To learn more about the African Children's Choir or volunteer opportunities with the organization, visit africanchildrenschoir.com.
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ENLARGE
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The African Children's Choir, which entertained a Roseburg audience Thursday, is made up of some of the continent's poorest countries.
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ENLARGE
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The African Children's Choir, seen at a Thursday night performance in Roseburg, was founded in Uganda in 1984.
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Trills, yips and almost constant drumming beat back the gloomy weather outside with the sounds of Africa Thursday night.
The African Children's Choir lit up the New Life Christian Center on Vine Street with well-known songs such as “This Little Light of Mine,” traditional songs from their home countries and even the Celine Dion hit “Because You Loved Me.”
Hundreds of people attended the concert, and parents had a tough time corralling wiggly kids who danced right along with the choir, tried to jump onstage or laid in the aisles to get a better look.
Children in the choir hailed from some of the poorest countries in Africa — Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan and South Africa.
The choir's charity cares for about 8,000 children currently. It was founded in 1984 by Irish-born minister Ray Barnett and began in Uganda.
The choir raises money to continue educating and feeding children in the program back in Africa.
The choir's parent organization is a charity registered in the U.S. as the Music for Life Institute. The Better Business Bureau has the address and telephone number of the charity, but reported receiving no current information in the voluntary evaluation tool.
A video shown Thursday night showed former choir members who credited their success, even their lives, to the choir.
The African Children's Choir lit up the New Life Christian Center on Vine Street with well-known songs such as “This Little Light of Mine,” traditional songs from their home countries and even the Celine Dion hit “Because You Loved Me.”
Hundreds of people attended the concert, and parents had a tough time corralling wiggly kids who danced right along with the choir, tried to jump onstage or laid in the aisles to get a better look.
Children in the choir hailed from some of the poorest countries in Africa — Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan and South Africa.
The choir's charity cares for about 8,000 children currently. It was founded in 1984 by Irish-born minister Ray Barnett and began in Uganda.
The choir raises money to continue educating and feeding children in the program back in Africa.
The choir's parent organization is a charity registered in the U.S. as the Music for Life Institute. The Better Business Bureau has the address and telephone number of the charity, but reported receiving no current information in the voluntary evaluation tool.
A video shown Thursday night showed former choir members who credited their success, even their lives, to the choir.
Tony Were, known as Uncle Tony to the children, is conducting the current choir on tour and was himself a member in the sixth choir.
He said he was a sickly child who was nursed back to health and educated by the organization. In Kenya, he now is a broadcast journalist.
“I'm just one of the thousands helped by the African Children's Choir,” he told the large audience.
Though the organization has been bringing African voices to the Western world for 25 years, the children in Thursday's choir were on their first tour, which will end next summer. Tour leader Stacy Allan said schedules are structured that way so that every child in the organization has a chance to participate in the traveling choir.
Children in Thursday's choir ranged in age from 7 to 10. After a brief intermission, the children introduced themselves and each identified a desired occupation: Singer, soldier, lawyer, doctor, president, firefighter — and an army of hairdressers.
“ I almost now want to be a hairdresser,” joked New Life Pastor Tim Powlison.
Jamie Knight goes to church at New Life and attended Thursday evening with her daughter Shakota Bowling, 3.
Though Knight said her daughter was shy, she worked all night to keep the little girl from crawling onto the stage. Both mother and daughter enjoyed the concert.
“It's fun to see people meet people who are different than me,” Knight said, adding that this was the first time Shakota had seen black people.
• You can reach reporter DD Bixby at 957-4211 or by e-mail at dbixby@nrtoday.com.
He said he was a sickly child who was nursed back to health and educated by the organization. In Kenya, he now is a broadcast journalist.
“I'm just one of the thousands helped by the African Children's Choir,” he told the large audience.
Though the organization has been bringing African voices to the Western world for 25 years, the children in Thursday's choir were on their first tour, which will end next summer. Tour leader Stacy Allan said schedules are structured that way so that every child in the organization has a chance to participate in the traveling choir.
Children in Thursday's choir ranged in age from 7 to 10. After a brief intermission, the children introduced themselves and each identified a desired occupation: Singer, soldier, lawyer, doctor, president, firefighter — and an army of hairdressers.
“ I almost now want to be a hairdresser,” joked New Life Pastor Tim Powlison.
Jamie Knight goes to church at New Life and attended Thursday evening with her daughter Shakota Bowling, 3.
Though Knight said her daughter was shy, she worked all night to keep the little girl from crawling onto the stage. Both mother and daughter enjoyed the concert.
“It's fun to see people meet people who are different than me,” Knight said, adding that this was the first time Shakota had seen black people.
• You can reach reporter DD Bixby at 957-4211 or by e-mail at dbixby@nrtoday.com.
