Sixth Form Sisserou Singers to captivate and entertain in ‘Choral Treasures’

If the story does not captivate you, the lyrics certainly will. Where the lyrics may leave you wanting more, the music will make you swoon, sweep and entranced you into their world.

As dynamic and engaging as the characters in the story they tell in monologue, mime and song the Sixth Form Sisserou Singers (SFSS) are combining individuality into marvelous collective harmony in their latest production.

Expertly bound together by the lady they call ‘Aunty’, also known as Pearl Christian, the singers head into their 14th full-length production, captioned Choral Treasures, on the 8-9 of July at the Arawak House of Culture and the 10th at the Catholic Church Hall in Portsmouth, at 6:30 pm nightly.

Christian said that while former years’ productions have been about choosing songs that fit a particular theme, in keeping with this year’s theme the group chose songs that are just flat-out love.

She remarked, “It is what we say it is, ‘Choral Treasures’, they are special pieces. They were chosen on the basis of the fact that we liked them. Sometimes we do a concert and choose pieces on the basis that they fit into a certain theme, like last year we did ‘Choral Dedications’, with some pieces dedicated to Neil Karam and the Haitian Earthquake Victims. That concert had a theme of sadness, but hope. This year we wanted to do just a popping sort of show. We just wanna do it, just explosive and entertaining.”

President of the SFSS, Kareem Bertand, expects the show to be bigger and better as the choir continues to grow.

Of the concert he says, “It’s something where if you’ve never been, you probably wouldn’t have a clear idea as to what it is, but I encourage you to come and if you do you will want to come again. It truly is something that is a gem, and for the group to have been around for 17 years, there must be something good about it.”

For the first time since the group’s genesis, they are taking their major production on the road within the season and Christian and her troupe are certainly excited to do so.

“For the first time we’re decentralizing. We’ve done stuff out of town, but for the first time we’re doing a show during the season and I’m excited about that. I’ll have to put up with screaming young kids, but they’re fun in the end,” she remarked.

She urged the public to come out to the shows, not just in support, but to be genuinely entertained.

Christian continued, “I really want them to come out this year, not just to support but to enjoy a show that really is a nice show, a lot of work has gone into it and I think it’s gonna be entertaining, so not just to support young people, but also to be entertained with really good material. I’m really hoping that people come out because it will be worth the while.”

Choral Treasures will feature a number of genres in various sections including Contemporary, Reggae, Calypso and Caribbean Folk music.

Tickets are available from SFSS members, the Portsmouth Presbytery and Arden Brands at a price of $30.