Inside Out: Reflections on life in an earthsuit

By Clarice M McKenney

Over more than 20 years of attending Vicki Blake Thompson’s local choir performances, I’ve come to expect good shows, but Saturday night’s performance by the Bonners Ferry/Creston, BC Spiritsong and Boundless choirs really was the greatest.

In addition to the performance in Bonners Ferry, there was one in Creston and another in Sandpoint. Hopefully the weather cooperated with the other two. Saturday night’s attendance was dampened by cold, heavy rain, so Trinity Lutheran Church was half empty. More’s the pity.

Regardless of the small audience, all of the voices and personalities were in superb form, especially soloists Julie McLeish, Si Thompson and Van Stonehocker and duet partners DJ Cruttenden and Rhea Verbanic.

Both choirs and the men’s section of Boundless performed the very difficult music with precision, perfect pitch and delightful resonance. Through all 17 pieces, each vocalist warmed and inspired their audience with his or her heart and soul. As always, pianist Barb Nelson was outstanding, Jim Thompson’s electronic wind renditions in oboe and French horn was subtle but strong, and Canadian Alexandra Ewashen’s percussion, including hushed vocals, was solid.

Between numbers, almost all of the choir members shared spiritually meaningful and sometimes scientifically sensational observations from the likes of Rob Bell, Neil Degrasse Tyson and Oliver Wendell Holmes.

In this time of turmoil, chaos, confusion, questionable morals, lack of ethics and pure lawlessness, we all needed to hear and see Vicki’s special blend of beautiful music, timely lyrics and ministry for the soul.

Music is the international language, they say. The way Karen Samter has perfected her beautiful, heartfelt art, so is signing. Saturday night’s performance was truly a masterful communication experience for us in the audience.

If the standing ovation and after-performance enthusiasm of so many audience members can be believed (and I spoke with many of the audience after each half of the program), we got your message, Vicki. From the womb to the grave, it’s all about experiencing God’s love and sharing it with others, while taking time to learn and soak up our blessings.