By Jennifer Glass
Blaine Sumler says he was speechless when Bethel’s Renaissance Southern Gospel Quartet’s name was called as the winner of the National Quartet Convention talent competition this past September.
“A flood of emotions came over me, and even now I wake up almost every day thinking did that really happen?”
Indeed it did happen. Sumler and his colleagues took top honors at the 2009 National Quartet Convention in Louisville, KY, after besting 41 other groups. The National Quartet Convention is gospel music’s largest annual event. As the winners of the talent competition, Sumler, along with Anna Pirtle, Dustin Doyle, and Josh Murrell, and accompanists Adam Catt and Roger Morris, and the group’s director Matthew Holt, opened the event’s Saturday evening concert on the convention’s main stage to an audience of more than 23,000.
As winners, the group will also have the opportunity to record a new album compliments of Cross and Crown Music. The company will also distribute a free single to radio stations.
“This really is an amazing thing for these young people,” said director Holt, who has been involved in the gospel music industry for many years.
Holt, a former member of the well-known gospel group The Perrys, pointed out the magnitude of the students’ convention experience.
“There were thousands of people at this convention who have spent their entire lives hoping to sing on that stage like our southern gospel group got to do,” he said. “I feel confident that this experience will be something they’ll always look back on as a wonderful event in their lives.”
When asked what made them shine in the competition, Holt said he felt it was a combination of things.
“These young people have a God-given talent,” he said. “I really think God knew what he was doing when he brought this group together. And they’ve worked so hard every day. Their work ethic is remarkable.”
Holt pointed out as well that Bethel’s was the only college group that took part in the quartet competition, which made their win all the more outstanding.
“They competed against seasoned veterans,” Holt said. “There were people in this competition who don’t have to study and keep their grades up on top of rehearsing. Some of the other groups are out on the road pretty much all the time performing together.”
Holt says he’s hopeful that this group of performers will stay together and continue spreading God’s word through their music.
“They each have to finish school,” he said. “And I’m sure they’ve each had their own plans for what they’ll do when they graduate. But I would love to have this group of Bethel alumni touring so that many more people can learn about Renaissance and our Southern Gospel Music Division.”
Proximity after graduation could be a challenge as well. “These students hail from a number of different places, so continuing as a group would be a big commitment on their part,” Holt said.
Anna Pirtle is from Bolivar, TN, Dustin Doyle is from Chalybeate, KY, Sumler is from Lexington, TN, and Josh Murrell is from Paris, TN. And accompanists Adam Catt and Roger Morris are from Brownsville, KY, and McKenzie respectively.
The quartet now begins work on their album, and yet, they will still find time to study and to travel with and take part in Renaissance activities.
Prospective students interested in Bethel’s Southern Gospel Music Division or who are interested in other areas of the Renaissance Performing Arts Program can contact us at 731.352.6445 or 731.352.6414, or they can go to www.bethelu.edu for more information.
