Ranging from respectful choir performances to “The O.C.
Chrismukkah Mix,” holiday music is often hit-and-miss. For
the faithful, though, hearing genuinely religious music can be a
profound experience.
UCLA’s Envision Vocals crafted such a moment on Nov. 20,
winning the prestigious McDonald’s Gospelfest
competition.
Envision Vocals, part of UCLA’s African Arts Ensemble, is
a campus gospel group. The long-running Gospelfest is an annual
charity event founded by McDonald’s and presented by Disney.
The competition celebrated its 20th anniversary this year with a
“grand finale” at the Shrine Civic Auditorium.
Gospelfest began in earnest five months prior to the
competition, whittling down the groups to a few talented finalists
over the qualifying rounds and semifinals. Envision won first place
in the adult choir category, demonstrating the experience and years
of practice that has garnered them performances in Las Vegas, San
Diego and around Los Angeles.
“There was a show held by a church in Las Vegas, not to
dedicate the church but to promote the church and showcase it. So
(we) performed at a performing arts theater in Las Vegas last
year,” said Gerren Bennett, a third-year sociology
student.
Bennett, who had never sung in a group before Envision, jumped
right in.
“My cousin was part of the group, so I’d been
talking to her about it. I started singing February or March of my
freshman year,” said Bennett.
Gospel music is about community, and the relationships forged
are as strong as any family ties. Envision has a powerful group
dynamic which grew throughout the competition. Aside from
performing at Spring Sing last year, the McDonald’s
Gospelfest was the group’s first attempt at competitive
performance.
“We don’t really sing competitively too
often,” said Bennett. “When we have special
performances or big performances coming up, (we rehearse) maybe two
or three times a week to really prepare.”
So much practice turned the group into a very close-knit choir,
and this closeness showed on stage. Beyond winning Southern
California’s only major gospel competition, Envision is now
receiving offers to perform around Los Angeles, as well as here on
campus, including last Friday’s performance at the African
Arts Ensemble’s fall showcase.
Envision initially discovered the Gospelfest because of an
impressed audience member, who contacted Tim Ngubeni, the
group’s director, and told him about the opportunity. The
group took full advantage, and now their success and name
recognition is growing on a daily basis. Still, they may have
already achieved their greatest honor.
“Nobody has said anything about national
competitions,” said Bennett. “To my knowledge, this is
as high as it is.”