Gospel Dream 2005 Dallas Auditions Underway
The nationwide talent search, which began auditions in Atlanta, will select 21 contestants from seven regional auditions.
The drive is an hour long from Anna to Dallas, Texas, and Worship Pastor Eliezer Da Silva had to be at the Irving Arts Center by 9 a.m. But there are other reasons why the 37-year-old music minister is getting up at 5 o'clock on Friday morning.
“The morning time is a difficult time for me to sing because I’m a baritone,” says Da Silva. “My voice is down to the gutter in the morning, and until about 2 o’ clock in the afternoon I’m singing double bass. So I got up early to give my voice a chance to warm up.”
And while singing is a regular routine for Da Silva at First Baptist Church in Red Oak, Texas, the native Brazilian was “warming up the pipes” yesterday for a very special (and very short) performance – his audition for the Gospel Dream 2005 talent competition.
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The nationwide talent search, which began auditions last week in Atlanta, will select 21 contestants from seven regional auditions in Atlanta (Aug. 12-13), Dallas (Aug. 19-20), New Orleans (Aug. 26-27), St. Louis (Sept. 9-10), Chicago (Sept. 16-17), Detroit (Sept. 23-24), and Memphis (Sept. 30–Oct. 1) to compete in the national finals in Atlanta, which will air on the Gospel Music Channel on Nov. 30 (semi-finals) and Dec. 1 (finale).
Da Silva was one of nearly 200 “spiritual star hopefuls” who competed yesterday for one of 3 coveted semi-finalists slots to be determined in Dallas.
“Everyone was just kind of walking around humming, singing,” Eliezer told the Christian Post yesterday over the phone. “There were a lot of really good people there.”
Despite the skill level present at the audition, Da Silva says the atmosphere was not overly competitive.
“Everyone was really supportive of each other,” said Da Silva, who was one of the first to audition. “For me, it wasn’t very competitive.”
Da Silva, who’s musical taste includes artists such as Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, and Tommy Walker, prepared for almost 10 days before the audition, memorizing the lyrics and melody to Bebo Norman’s “Nothing Without You,” which he chose from a list of approved songs for the competition.
Despite only being allowed 30 seconds to perform, Da Silva said he wasn’t nervous during his audition.
“They had me walk up about 50 stairs before the audition. I was just about out of breath when I sang,” laughs Da Silva. “But I wasn’t nervous.”
For Da Silva, the competition is an opportunity to expand his ministry.
“I’ve been praying about this since I signed up,” he said. “I’ve asked God many times to give me the opportunity to reach a larger audience, to teach people how to worship and to bring them into His presence.”
A worship leader at his church since 1998, Da Silva didn’t always have such affinity to the music ministry.
“My dad was a music minister, and seeing all of the struggles and the lack of financial resources from the ministry, I decided I didn’t want that, so I ran away to occupation that had more income,” says Da Silva, who was previously an attorney. “But when I was 30, God reeled me back in.”
Da Silva says whether he wins or loses is “all in the hands of God.”
“God will do whatever He wants, He will place me wherever He wants me to be,” he said. “Last night I was talking to Him and I said, ‘If this is Your will, I know it’s going to happen.’”
Gospel Dream 2005’s next audition will be held in New Orleans, La., on Aug. 26 and 27.
For more information or to register for the competition online, click here.
