National Quartet Convention 2015 - Sunday Night Bonus Concert

Tonight I got to watch the webcast of the National Quartet Convention. My plan is to watch Monday, Thursday and Friday nights in their entirety. I'll probably be able to catch some part of Tuesday and Wednesday nights as well. So hopefully I'll have some highlights each day this week to share with you. But for now, let's start with the bonus concert they had tonight:

The concert started with all the groups from tonight singing "Bless the Lord," and they ended it that way as well. Each group sang once in the first half that was part of the free webcast tonight. Then, the concert continued with each group taking the stage again.

It was a great night for the newbies. The first group to take the stage was Jim Brady Trio. Of course, Jim and Melissa Brady and Tim Parton are not new to the NQC stage, but as a group this was their first time. The Hoppers brought several first time NQCers with them - Nathan Kistler, Abby Paskvan and Matt Griffith. It was also the first time for the NQC audience to see Blake Buffin with Mark Trammell Quartet. I was impressed by all of their performances.

The Jim Brady Trio was the first group to take the stage and definitely started the night off well, but I loved their second set!! Jim paid tribute to his dad, and they sang "That Sounds Like Home to Me." They sang with just Tim on the piano. Then, they started the chorus again a cappella, great moment! Melissa was also featured on "The Greatest of All Miracles," which was incredible!

It was great to see Claude and Connie back on the stage with the Hoppers. They sang a few songs including "Thank You Lord For Your Blessings on Me" and "I'll Take You Home." They thanked everyone for the many prayers that had been offered on their behalf. They shared their story about how hard their year had been. I thought it was cool that they brought up Abby Paskvan to sing "All Rise." What an incredible young talent! I hadn't heard her before at all. I also loved getting to hear the Hopper Brothers 2.0 on the webcast on "I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary." I also hadn't heard the Hoppers with the addition of Nathan, who's a great addition to the group.

Greater Vision and the Mark Trammell Quartet have to be two of the most consistent groups in the business, and tonight was no exception. Both groups had two solid sets. Both groups sang a mix of recent songs and familiar favorites like MTQ on "Wedding Music" and Greater Vision with "Champion of Love." The Mark Trammell Quartet ended the group's second set with "It's Almost Over," which was a great moment of the night! Greater Vision ended their second set with "It Pays to Pray." Loved hearing them stage this song again, great moment the Gerald set up well talking about how important it was to keep praying no matter how long you've been praying for something.

Tim Lovelace provided some comedy throughout the night in addition to great singing! It was a good first night, look forward to watching more this week!

Highlights of the Night (no particular order) -

• "That Sounds Like Home" - Jim Brady Trio
• "Thank You Lord for Your Blessings" - The Hoppers
• "All Rise" - Abby Paskvan
• "It's Almost Over" - Mark Trammell Quartet
• "It Pays to Pray" - Greater Vision
• "There Is a Fountain" - Kim Hopper and Melissa Brady
• "I Believe in a Hill Called Mt. Calvary" - Hopper Brothers 2.0