Connections: Singing Praises

A cappella singing requires a very good ear, which these collegians obviously have — as well as the talent to put across the messages in the contemporary songs they sing

Sep. 10, 2014

Helen S. Rattray

A passel of college kids conjured the back-to-school spirit last weekend when they came to Bridgehampton to sing. Shere Khan, an a cappella ensemble of 12 Princeton students, performed for a group of friends at a private party, while the 45-member Howard University Gospel Choir, accompanied by electric bass, keyboard, and drums, raised the rafters of the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church.

Shere Khan, the tiger in Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book,” is an appropriate riff on Princeton’s mascot. Linda Frankenbach and Rik Kranenburg had invited the co-ed group to spend the weekend here, rehearsing and enjoying the beach before heading back to school. Their son is the president of Shere Khan, and a senior. The Howard Gospel Choir was offering its sixth annual concert as a benefit for the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center.

A cappella singing requires a very good ear, which these collegians obviously have — as well as the talent to put across the messages in the contemporary songs they sing. I wasn’t alone among the audience in not quite being up-to-date on the music young people listen to these days, but Shere Khan rocked, and we all got it. The Beatles and Paul Simon were mixed in with Beyonce, Pharell Williams, Sheryl Crow, and Amy Winehouse, and at least half of the ensemble took terrific solos.

But I was stricken with admiration for the group’s music director, a Princeton junior named Liti Chiang, who not only set the beat but provided — vocally — amazing percussion. (The only note I questioned were the colors of Shere Khan’s T-shirts on its website: blue and red rather than Tiger orange and black.)

The camaraderie and good will of the audience for the Howard Gospel Choir was evident in its response upon learning that the concert, which had been called for 4:30 p.m., would start late because of a bus problem. The passion and gusto of this group is legendary, and they showed their mettle even though, we learned later, they hadn’t even taken time for lunch.

I’ve sung in innumerable concerts at the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, and attended some wonderful performances there during the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, but nothing can compare with the Howard Gospel Choir for energizing an audience, encouraging them to clap and sing along to familiar songs like “Oh Happy Day.” This group, too, rotates solos among its members, and its music director, Reginald A. Golden, who circled the aisles in one number, “Keep A-Inchin’ Along,” has a stirring tenor voice.

The good works — and fund-raising needs — of the Bridgehampton Child Care Center are formidable. A brochure passed out with the Howard Gospel Choir concert program mentioned just a few of the expenses that will need to be covered in the coming year, including $10,000 for meals it regularly serves and $5,000 for an equipment shed. I promised Bonnie Michelle Cannon, the executive director, that I would mention a benefit golf tournament that will be held at the Atlantic Golf Club on Monday, Sept. 22. I don’t play golf, but I can spread the word. Hallelujah!