Baptist School Choirs Record First Album

For years, the student choirs at Los Angeles Baptist High School in North Hills have been uplifting audiences with their spirited concerts. Now, after months of hard work and fund-raising, they hope to reach even more people with their first album.

Titled “Called to the Light,” the $30,000 production was recorded earlier this year at a North Hollywood studio. It’s an 11-song showcase of the school’s New Vision Choir and the 16-member vocal group Reflections.

“It’s kind of a dream come true for people to actually be buying it,” gushed Sarah Joy Kabanuck.

Since it went on sale May 2, the school has sold more than 1,000 copies. Choir director Mike Best isn’t surprised.

“It blows me away,” he said. “I’m anticipating seeing great things from each of these kids in the coming years.”

The album, produced by Mark Vogel, is not a collection of treacly hymns, however. Many tracks are decidedly contemporary in tone, and two songs, “The Friend Medley” and “A Closer Walk,” include reworked snippets of modern pop hits such as “Lean on Me.”

Mandie Pinto, who cowrote two songs with Vogel and is pursuing a singing career, hopes the album will entertain listeners and touch their hearts. “It’s the reason we recorded the album,” she said.

As Adrianne Riso noted, it’s not just a showcase of their vocal talents, it’s also a powerful statement of their faith in God.

“This isn’t just music that we’re singing,” she said. “It’s a lifestyle for us.”

Copies of “Called to the Light” are available at the campus, 9825 Woodley Ave., North Hills, or by calling (818) 894-5742. Cassettes are $10; compact discs are $15.

Copies are also available at the Living Way bookstore in Van Nuys and God’s Books and Gifts in Mission Hills.