Parking spaces for non-residents in Valletta should honestly be on the list of impossible things to find, listed in-between four-leaved clovers and the Holy Grail. But, trust me, parking a 20-minute walk away from the Mediterranean Conference Centre to go and experience Voices was definitely worth it.

Under the direction of choir director Martina Caruana and assistant choir director Tony Vella, the Voices choir gave a wonderful performance, acting almost every single song and making the audience sing along.

I say almost because I wasn’t too fond of their rendition of Xemx, for which the music was too loud and the words couldn’t be made out. But the audience absolutely loved it, and clapped and clapped until the next song came up.

Indeed, if the (in many, many inverted commas) worst rendition was greeted with so much happiness and cheer, then you can only imagine how the rest of the night unfolded.

One hit after another, by a select group of solo singers who ranged in age, looks and capabilities, were simply phenomenal. From Crazy sung by Alexia Curmi, and Martina’s I Was Here, to Let It Go by Dorothy Bezzina to Man In the Mirror by Francesco Nicodeme and Royals by Rebecca Zammit, the song choice was brilliant, spanned many a decade and was delivered beautifully and effortlessly to an audience eager for more.

So much so that, three hours in, when the last song had just been performed, the audience erupted in a choir of “we want more”, to which the Voices team obliged.

The biggest asset of the concert, second only to the wonderful singers, was the venue. A great choice that allowed everyone to see without being squashed, but still being intimate enough to allow the audience to get up and dance when it felt like it.

The set was a great addition as well, and the tiered standing area where the choir stood created a colourful background for the solo singers.

One of my favourite moments, in fact, was when the song Seasons of Love came on, and the choir moved and bopped together to create a uniform wave of colour that was so pleasing to the eye I couldn’t help but follow it.

One voice, singing one song for one great cause

For anyone wondering, the choir was surprisingly gender-balanced and their voices were solidly carried to the furthest ends of where the audience was sitting. That is the best thing any choir can achieve: one voice, singing one song for one great cause.

And, although being an event in aid of charity shouldn’t affect the quality of a production, I feel that this concert was made even better by the fact that it was.

Knowing that so many people had put so much effort into creating this to help those in need shows that there are still many hearts of gold left in the world – and they really put their soul where their heart is, and that is a feat in itself.

Of course, this is what Voices has always been about. For 23 years, this highly-anticipated concert has donated the funds raised to various charities and organis-ations, and the €7,000 that were raised in 1991 are now dwarfed by the €220,000 that were collected in 2012.

The night was hosted by two very familiar faces: Josef Bonello and Ronnie Briffa. They were a fun duo, and although the jokes were recycled, they still made the audience giggle and wonder what was going to happen next.

On the night I was there, however, which was October 9, I didn’t particularly appreciate the moment when the hosts asked two of the audience members to go up to the stage.

I have to admit that I’ve never been a big fan of this audience participation tactic, but when a poor woman who was asked to go on stage was subsequently asked some very inappropriate questions in front of the audience, I realised I’d always been right.

Needless to say, no audience member should ever be made to feel embarrassed, but even I felt embarrassed on her behalf … until she simply walked away to the cheer of the whole audience.

Luckily for her, the cheering won her a phone, but just in case that woman is reading this: Good for you for walking away. You’re a woman of conviction – never let anyone take that away from you!

All in all, however, the show was a complete triumph. Seeing the delight and happiness etched in each of the choir members’ faces was a great plus – and made me feel I was part of something bigger.

You could tell that they felt like part of a family, and although not each of them had a solo performance, and although the solo performances were great, the choir was the real star of the show – the one element that proves beyond anything else that Voices was a complete success based on the help and hard work of everyone.

I am sure that the funds raised and the souls helped will bring much satisfaction to everyone who was part of Voices, but from here, I feel like I should still say it: Voices was a generously abundant show that generously spreads good will and much needed aid, and I just can’t wait to go again in 2016.