Performers at the annual New Life Native Musicale sing songs of inspiration and devotion. The largest gathering of Alaska Native Christians, Musicale brings together hundreds of groups and soloists from rural villages across the state. Since the 1960s, the event has been held during the week of Fur Rendezvous as a way to provide a healthy alternative to the bar scene in downtown Anchorage.
Formerly held at West High School, the gospel music festival is now hosted by ChangePoint Church and this year was held a week earlier than usual as an experiment. 500 invitations were sent out and a final selection of 200 groups perform over five nights. Each performer or group has ten minutes on the stage to sing or give testimony. "Sometimes there's a single person that sings -- there might be a group of eighteen, there might be groups from churches -- just all kinds of people sing or give testimony," says coordinator Fran McCue.
On Thursday night, Anchorage First Covenant group had eighteen people on stage while folk singer Natalie Kashatok played solo. Kashatok performed a gorgeous rendition of "How Beautiful Are the Feet" from Georg Händel's "Messiah," which captivated the audience. According to McCue, "People love it, and look forward to coming every year."
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