Karen PerisThe chorus and I were truly blessed to receive a beautiful message from Karen Peris, lead singer of The Innocence Mission, after covering 2 of the group's songs in the past 2 years. Personally, I was ecstatic to hear from a huge personal musical inspiration, and I know the chorus children, present and past, will share my enthusiasm equally when they read the absolutely magnificent praises bestowed upon them. There is no greater feeling than getting the approval of the original artists after covering one of their songs. And 'approval' doesn't begin to sum up the kind words from this extraordinary musician and human being. Read on.
Here is Karen's message:
"Last night, a friend told us about your Chorus singing "There" and we were able to see the performance clip. I can't begin to tell you how happy it made me, continues to make me whenever I think of it. What a beautiful, beautiful, joyful version. It is a huge improvement on the original. The children brought tears to my eyes with their glorious singing and their smiles. I so love the energy of this performance, the arrangement, the harmonies, everything!
"I was overwhelmed when I heard the performance of I Haven't Seen This Day Before. This, also, moved me to tears. Don(my husband) and I saw this earlier this year. Somehow we never thought of being able to contact you, to thank you and Justin and the rest of the children. I am very sorry that we didn't think of a way to reach you, then. But we carried the happiness of it around with us for many days.
"I don't know when these performances were recorded but if you were able to give my thanks to the children I would be so glad. And thank you, Gregg. I am so touched and honored by your teaching these songs to your 5th graders. Thank you for the amazing work you are doing, for providing such a joyful experience for so many children.
Peace be with you,
Karen Peris "
How incredibly inspiring to get a letter like that! And if that wasn't enough, The Innocence Mission is even featuring the PS22 Chorus version of "There" on the home page of their website! Chorus, you should be so proud of yourselves!!
Below are the two videos of the PS22 Chorus INNOCENCE MISSION covers, in case you missed them upon their initial posting.
"Last night, a friend told us about your Chorus singing "There" and we were able to see the performance clip. I can't begin to tell you how happy it made me, continues to make me whenever I think of it. What a beautiful, beautiful, joyful version. It is a huge improvement on the original. The children brought tears to my eyes with their glorious singing and their smiles. I so love the energy of this performance, the arrangement, the harmonies, everything!
"I was overwhelmed when I heard the performance of I Haven't Seen This Day Before. This, also, moved me to tears. Don(my husband) and I saw this earlier this year. Somehow we never thought of being able to contact you, to thank you and Justin and the rest of the children. I am very sorry that we didn't think of a way to reach you, then. But we carried the happiness of it around with us for many days.
"I don't know when these performances were recorded but if you were able to give my thanks to the children I would be so glad. And thank you, Gregg. I am so touched and honored by your teaching these songs to your 5th graders. Thank you for the amazing work you are doing, for providing such a joyful experience for so many children.
Peace be with you,
Karen Peris "
How incredibly inspiring to get a letter like that! And if that wasn't enough, The Innocence Mission is even featuring the PS22 Chorus version of "There" on the home page of their website! Chorus, you should be so proud of yourselves!!
Below are the two videos of the PS22 Chorus INNOCENCE MISSION covers, in case you missed them upon their initial posting.
"There" by Karen Peris
"I Haven't Seen This Day Before" by Karen Peris
And last, here is a beautiful song by The Innocence Mission themselves, called, "The Brotherhood Of Man." Hearing how beautiful this performance is certainly makes Karen's incredibly kind message to the chorus all the more meaningful.
"The Brotherhood of Man" by Karen Peris
hey mr.b james again,wow thats cool the lead singer of the innocence mission got to u for "there"!!! i wonder what the other chorus members from last year will say.
ReplyDeletefrom:james m.
ps: visiting real soon cant wait
hi james!! congrats on that beautiful message. make sure you pass the word on to your other former chorus members! :) waiting for that visit!!
ReplyDeletethis video was amazing i see y we did one of her songs. so glad u got that letter. we did a great job on "there" cant wait to see u
ReplyDeleteur shweetie ashley b
you guys rocked "there" indeed! i'm so proud of you for making an impact on such an amazing musician!! :) can't wait to see you either! and your cuz is doing a great job this year! he always tells me how much he loved your rendition of "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera....
ReplyDeletelol thnx when is the holiday show cuz joel is telling me its in 2 weeks. im not really sure and i wana go and see u and the chorus. i have my owned youtube and i put some videos on there. maybe you can check it out nickjonasbabe3.
ReplyDeletemiss ya ashley b
hey ash! i think our joel is a little confused.... our first performance is in 2 weeks, but our holiday show is not til december for sure, so you got time to plan! :)
ReplyDeleteAs an Innocence Mission fan, I was doubly happy to listen to your version of 'There'. My husband and I got all teary-eyed, it was ery up-lifting. And "I Haven't Seen This Day Before" is one of my very favorite IM songs....thanks from California!
ReplyDeleteAs another Innocence Mission fan, your praise means a lot! Thank you so much!!
ReplyDeleteI know I'm late. but I'm a big fan of the IM and thats's how I found your videos today. When I saw "There", one of my favorite songs, I too was moved to tears - I wish I had an opportunity to be in a chorus like that as a fifth grader, as the joy those talented kids (now they must be all grown up I suppose) displayed was like nothing I had ever witnessed.
ReplyDeleteAs for Justin's cover, congrats on the production and instrumentation. This kid reminded me of Michael Jackson, he has the potential and talent of a true star.
Thank you so much for these moments of joy, and congratulations on your work with the chorus.