WHATEVER the event, whether religious or secular, the SASCA Heraldiers choir continues to turn heads wherever they go.
Be it a time of mourning or a time for celebration, the 27-year-old choir of 45 members, directed by Attorney-at-Law Leslyn Charles, always receives a standing ovation whenever they hit the stage.
Looking dapper as always in their chic uniforms, their melodious voices blending to perfection, the Heraldiers never disappoint, and in fact keep getting better and better with each passing occasion.
The acronym SASCA means, Seventh Day Adventist Socio-Cultural Association, and all of its members are drawn from congregations across Linden. As Director Leslyn Charles rightly boasts, it’s the only SDA choir across Guyana, and while there may be have been groups that emerged over the years, none have ever stood the test of time.
SASCA Heraldiers has been weathering the storm, uninterrupted, since 1990; and while former members may have taken a sabbatical before 1985, the new choir established by Pastor Lawrence London in August 1997 remains intact to date, with just a few new faces.
“Then Pastor Lawrence London, who was a former choir director of the former SASCA choir, knows the rich history of Linden and the Seventh Day Adventist music.
“And he thought that it was such an injustice for Linden not to have a choir so he came and restarted the group,” Director Charles revealed.
So, when he was leaving to attend to matters in other districts, Lawrence recruited Charles to take over the helm. “I was pregnant at that time and didn’t want to take it on, but he thought that I could do it,” Charles said. “So I accepted, and here we are, 27 years later.”
Today, Charles has no regrets she took the position, as has seen the choir grow from strength to strength, making her proud on every occasion.
The members attend SDA congregations such as Bethel, Amelia’s Ward, Mora Street, Victory Temple, Emanuel and Bethesda. Of the 45 members, 15 are males. And the age ranges from 21 to 75.

Despite representing a religious entity, the Heraldiers also accept invitations to sing at secular events.
“We try to participate in any event that we deem will be a positive witness to us, so we take part in the Town Week every year, and we take part in the National Music Festival,” Charles said.
“And whenever we take part, we win! And we take part in events that the church has nationally; and if any other church invites us to take part in an event that they have, we would take part,” she added.
Practice sessions are on Sundays and Thursdays from 17:00 to 18:30hrs. And whenever there is an event, extra sessions are arranged. When asked what makes the SASCA Heraldiers so special, Charles said confidently, “The choir doesn’t allow any goal or objective to defeat it. If we decide we are going to participate in an event, we are going for the jugular, as it were; we put in as much work as we need to.
“The choir likes to strive for higher heights; anything that seems insurmountable, we go after it.”
One of the greatest achievements of the choir is recording its very own album, “Magnetic Melodies”, in 2002, and travelling across the Caribbean to promote it.
“The choir members are very funny and caring to one another, and look out for each other,” Charles said.
“So I think that is what makes the group so special. Everybody looks out for the other person; is concerned about the other person, and, generally, that is what makes the group special. We are go-getters; we like to strive for higher heights.”
The choir always welcomes new members, once they express an interest in joining the fold, since it is not about being musically inclined only. They, however, go through an auditioning process with seasoned members. The choir also visits communities up the Berbice and Demerara Rivers, just to entertain and bring comfort to the residents of those riverine communities.
Director Charles however believes that the choir should be included in more national events, since it has been in existence for so long. “We like to be very uniformed when we are going to perform,” she said. “People look forward to seeing us perform, and we just hope that on a national level, we can be included some more, because I think that the choir has been in existence so long, people still don’t know about the choir, so we would love to sing at national events and be good ambassadors for Christ.”