If your child is interested in gospel, you might consider the Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir, under the direction of Terrance Kelly, recently profiled in this column. He’s looking to enlarge this diverse choir; auditions are in January. This chorus in not exclusively gospel oriented, but that’s their signature, and they are absolutely transcendent. We went to the annual holiday concert last week and it was everything you might expect. And if you’d heard Destiny Knuckles sing, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” you’d have stood up in your pew in the Imani Community Church like everyone, in awe.
She made the song her own and demonstrated a range and facility that was stunning for such a young woman. And there were several other soloists with equal talent. What struck us was not the wonderful interpretation of a genre, but the way in which the music became transformative — in an uncertain moment in American history, the music made you believe in the great strength and solace to be found in community. For more information about auditions, go to www.oigc.org.