Launched in 2008, the Animae Gospel Choir, founded by Eurovision entry Glen Vella, held its third concert to a packed audience. Having not experienced it before in its previous incarnations, I was impressed by the sheer amount of members making up the choir itself, 23 in total.

Out of those 23 there were at least several recognisable names, including Amber Bondin, Pamela Bezzina who doubled as choir mistress, Debbie Scerri, Leontine Spiteri, Nadine Axisa and Vella himself.

Named after the Latin word for ‘soul’, the Animae Gospel Choir aims to be “a professional vocal ensemble that promotes positivity and unity” and, in fact, the aforementioned Bezzina describes the choir as “a refuge and a place for us to feel comfortable in, as well as a place where to create the music we like without any limitations”.

It was this feelgood vibe that dominated most of the evening, as the choir whisked through rendition after rendition of classic, clap your hands, stamp your feet music, which eventually led to the audience being asked to stand up and bust a few moves of their own in order to truly partake of the Animae spirit.

Apart from the songs themselves, I was quite impressed by the energy which the choir brought to each and every piece as they turned the event into a celebration of life that reached its climax when 70 children clad in white were brought on stage in order to sing Labi Siffe’s famous 1990 hit, Something Inside So Strong.

Despite the unity of the choir, it was interesting to see each singer shine in his or her own particular way while remaining part of the whole, or as Bezzina put it succinctly: “Animae allows us to be ourselves, to fail and work harder, and to feel accepted by others. Animae, in other words, is a family. And the way you’ll see us on this stage, is the way we always are.”

The family vibe was not lost on the audience, which glowed with the kind of enthusiasm which is not always forthcoming from the average Maltese crowd. Producer Christian Borg believes that the reason behind Animae’s appeal lies in its human authenticity and emotive performances.

Animae’s wonderfully positive vibe and meticulous preparation made for an energetic and incredibly involving show

“We aim to produce performances of the highest standards with meticulous rehearsals and artistic preparations. That said, people see and feel beyond all that. We are thankful that our audiences manage to capture the emotions that we transmit on stage. Each song carries with it the journey of each member, the laughter and light times during rehearsals, the long stressful hours of preparation and other personal deep thoughts.

“If the conditions are right, members manage to subconsciously convey those emotions through song, and that is what people relate to most.”

Indeed, the evening took a particularly poignant turn when the choir members sang their solo parts – it was at that point that one could truly appreciate the different nuances in the voices of each individual singer and the creative process journey that each member had clearly taken.

This was confirmed by Borg, who said: “Putting together a show is a very long process which starts quite a few months before the actual performances. Pamela, who is the choir director and arranger, does most of the work, assisted by the core team and choir members who come up with suggestions. For these past concerts we have once again collaborated with Kris Spiteri, who was responsible for the musical arrangements and band direction and his input was also instrumental in choosing the right mood for the concerts.”

Of course, choosing the right repertoire for these concerts is one of the most daunting tasks. As from the onset, Animae set out to interpret songs which transmit a positive vibe and it was obvious that the artistic team had given this element a lot of thought.

Overall, I was very touched by my first Animae experience. While choir performances, particularly gospel ones, might not be to everyone’s taste, Animae’s wonderfully positive vibe and meticulous preparation made for an energetic and incredibly involving show, leaving many energised for hours after the show had ended.