Those people who were smart enough to attend last Sunday’s First International Arts Festival and Peace Tour Concert walked away with much more than they came with. They were given a glimpse of what the future of Milledgeville can be when our children are set free from the forces that still divide us, and allowed to exist in a world that honors restraint, respect and responsibility. Dramatic opera soprano Beverley Vanessa Hill was joined by Puerto Rican baritone Rafael LeBron and the Grover and Lula Mae Memorial Choraliers in a concert in the Goldstein Center for the Performing Arts at Georgia Military College. The Choraliers were made up of children from First United Methodist Church, Second Macedonia Baptist Church, Union Baptist City Church, Green Pasture Baptist Church, GMC and the city of Sparta. “The children are amazing. They were very well behaved, very respectful, and they worked hard,” said Wade Elkins, director of music at First United Methodist Church and the director of the choraliers for the concert. “They listened and they responded. Today they just came alive, and that’s what is so rewarding and so wonderful to be a part of.” Hill not only sang several pieces in the concert, she sang the praises for the children as well. “The children are dreams. They are the most dedicated, the most disciplined children,” Hill said. Hill took a group of the choraliers to perform on WMAZ television on Saturday, and said the children gathered in the parking lot at 6:45 a.m. to rehearse. After traveling to Macon, performing, then returning to Milledgeville, the young singers rehearsed for another hour before Hill took them to McDonald’s for a special treat. And every single one of them, Hill said, came up to her and thanked her. “How can we not support these children with every ounce of our being?” Hill asked. She is seeking community support to take the choraliers to perform in New York City in 2007 and to Europe in 2008. “This is our future. This is our peace. This is our community. I am totally optimistic and I totally believe in Milledgeville.” Haylee Chambers, 10, a choralier from the Methodist Church, is hoping to travel to Europe with Hill. “I liked singing mainly because I liked meeting Beverley Vanessa,” Chambers said. “She’s very kind and loving. She taught us how to loosen our voices, and that one person can’t do it all and that we all need to work together.” Unity among the children was very apparent as they sat in the audience awaiting their turn to perform onstage. They were the living example of what Hill strives to impart with her group that she named in honor of her parents: restraint, respect and responsibility. There were no boundaries among them as they sat patiently, nor as they took to the stage, their voices uniting in song and reaching out to the hearts of the audience. Dr. Richard Mercier, who provided the piano accompaniment, said that the event was “very exciting” because it not only touches the musical side of Milledgeville but also touches “right into the community.” The opportunity for the children to work with international professionals and to see that there are many opportunities outside their local boundaries made Mercier feel fortunate to have been asked to participate. “It opens up their minds to greater possibilities and gets them excited about something that’s really very vital and can change their life for the better forever,” Mercier said. “To see their eyes begin to glow as they begin to have their moments of singing is really touching.” LeBron commended Hill on her courage in bringing the project to fruition, and holding on to her lifelong dream. “It is not easy to be a pioneer, and it is harder sometimes to try to change mentalities than it is to face the rough winds and seas of uncertainty,” LeBron said. “I believe her effort is already a success, but the audience is the determining factor. Music is the universal language. With the integration of music styles, cultures and ethnicities, maybe we can bring about a harmonious change in the society of man.”