World Vision returns
By Casey Gillis on Jul. 30, 2008
(434) 385-5525
The last time the World Vision Korea Children’s Choir came to Lynchburg, the result was a sold-out, standing-room-only concert.
“It was very well-received,” says Jong Kim, a Lynchburg College music professor who arranged the show. “The kids, they really remember the response they got from the audience. They made a strong connection.
“(The director) mentioned how greatly the kids enjoyed every moment they spent here in Lynchburg.”
The 40-voice choir, made up of children in grades six through eight, is currently touring Korean community churches across the U.S. But they will make a special stop in Lynchburg next month during one of their days off.
The performance is scheduled for 8 p.m. Aug. 12 in Lynchburg College’s Snidow Chapel and will feature a program of traditional western sacred music, as well as original works by Korean composers. The kids also perform original Korean dances.
“Their dancing is one of their side dishes,” Kim says. “Their main thing is their sound,” which he describes as a “very pure and well-blended choral sound. Just angelic.”
The current tour’s theme is “A Voice for the Voiceless,” and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to orphans, handicapped children and street children in Mongolia, according to a press release.
Membership in the choir is highly competitive, and the kids go through a rigorous audition process.
Since its inception in 1960 - with the goal of aiding orphans and widows during the Korean War - members have performed in more than 4,500 concert tours worldwide and have participated in numerous choral festivals. In 1978, it became the first Asian choir to win first prize in the International Choral Competition.
“They’re one of the top five choirs in the world,” says Kim.
Tickets to the concert are $10 and can be purchased at the Lynchburg College bookstore, Givens Books, and Aylor’s Farm and Garden.
For more information, contact Kim at (434) 544-8443.
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