The South Korean Levite Choir, on a United States tour in honor of Korean War veterans, came to Clarksville on February 12 with a stunning performance of music and dance presented at the First Baptist Church on Madison Street.
The 2009 Winter Praise Concert, conducted by Lee YongHee, included choral work by the choir, a tenor solo by Park SeongWon, and a haunting violin solo by Ane Hee Young. The Children’s Choir was a special delight as they combined their music with charming and meticulously studied dance movement taught and choreographed by Park Eun Suk.
Garbed in elegant gowns for the first act, and brilliantly hued traditional Korean costumes for the second act, the group filled the church will their renditions of familiar Christian music, including Come Now Is The Time To Worship, Ancient of Days, This Is How It Feels To Be Free, For Such A Time As This, and First Time I Came To Grace.
In the words of conductor Lee YongHee, “I dedicate this concert to the Lord, to missionaries who were martyred in Korea, and to the soldiers who fell down in Korean battlefields. God Bless America.” He stated that the concert was a “way of paying our debt” to the American people. A half dozen Korean War veterans were in attendance at this event and honored by the choir. Musical accompaniment on piano was provided by Kim Ju Hee.
Senator Tim Barnes presented the choir with an honorary certificate from the Tennessee State Senate and, on behalf of State Representative Joe Pitts, a similar certificate from the Tennessee House of representatives. A certificate from the office of Governor Phil Bredesen was also presented. A check was also presented to the group and certificates were awarded to each of the 26 members of the adult and children’s choirs, making them honorary citizens of the City of Clarksville.
Pastor Tommy Vallejos, who became a Christian in Korea,spoke about his experience in their country and of how he became a Christian more than 20 years earlier.
