Amidst Music and Smiles!

Today is #TBT Thursday! It’s a special moment to look back on the events that have most impressed and defined us as individuals. As for me, the anniversary celebrations continue at my workplace; everything coming up over the next few months will feel like a festive celebration—filled with music and smiles—aimed at honoring the legacy of our name, even if we are merely passengers on this journey. Our choir is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and yesterday, a video we filmed two (or three) weeks ago premiered at a private event. Yes, our actual anniversary fell on Wednesday, May 6th, but our anniversary concert is scheduled for next Saturday, the 16th—and this video was produced specifically to promote it on our social media channels.

This was a very special recording day—and it’s something I love about my job: every day is a different experience, unfolding amidst singing, photography, recording sessions, interviews, and so on. There is always something new happening, which ensures that no workday ever feels routine. There are many singers in our choir, so it’s only natural that we all form small circles of friends alongside the larger choral group. For this video shoot, we were asked to form small groups for various scenes, which meant that many of us ended up paired with people we rarely speak to. That wasn't the case for me, though—as you know, I talk to absolutely everyone and tend to act like a Hive reporter, documenting all our activities! 😅 I was also lucky enough to have my wife in my group—we were the only couple they didn't split up! 😎

We’ve gotten so quick and natural at making these kinds of videos by now; I think we had this one ready in just three takes—though, admittedly, it’s not exactly our most elaborate production. As you can see in the video above, we thoroughly enjoyed the private premiere we attended yesterday. No one told me I wasn't allowed to share it, so I’m debuting it right here on Hive! 🤣 (At least a portion of it, anyway.) However, the promotional campaign hasn't officially launched on our social media channels yet, so I’ll just have to keep waiting before I can use it on Web 2 platforms. The music you’re hearing is titled Baba Yetu, originally composed by Christopher Tin—a setting of the Lord's Prayer that was released as part of the soundtrack for the video game Civilization IV in 2005. It even went on to win a Grammy, and I feel like it’s becoming more popular all the time; in fact, we’ve already worked up a second choral arrangement of it ourselves.

The guy singing in the video is my fellow tenor, Gabriel—and let me tell you, he has truly become one of the standout stars of popular singing within our group. He possesses a beautiful voice that suits any style; in fact, just a few weeks ago, he encouraged the rest of us tenors to take on solo parts in the choir—not because he was tired, but because of the importance of variety. Before singing here, I used to perform solos constantly in previous choirs I belonged to, but since joining Hive, I had set that aside, as it requires extra study and preparation at home. The point is that I took his advice, and now—for our anniversary concert—I’ve been selected to perform another one of the African songs we’re preparing. So, I’m getting back to what I had once left behind, and continuing to learn from those with more experience—like Gabo 🙏 Thank you all for reading and supporting me on my blog. I wish you all the best and send you a hug filled with gratitude.