Making a joyful noise, the African Ancestry Leadership Network, Voices of Destiny Ensemble won CincySings 2016.



The choir from Procter & Gamble beat out 11 other teams in the final round of ArtsWave's signature annual singing competition. Hosted by Drew Lachey and judged by jazz vocalist Kathy Wade, Good Morning Cincinnati anchor Bob Herzog and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra conductor John Morris Russell, CincySings returned to Music Hall on April 13. 

In the third year of the corporate choral competition created to inspire workplace giving to the annual ArtsWave campaign, CincySings is recognized as a national model for employee engagement. The Americans for the Arts released a handbook written by ArtsWave that outlines how to run a corporate art challenge like CincySings.

THE WINNING TEAMS 

Voices of Destiny, one of two P&G teams, won their spot on stage in Music Hall's Springer Auditorium with a stellar performance in the Semi-Finals in March. The second P&G team, Bluehemian Rhapsody, landed in the final competition thanks to online wild card voting. 

The winning performance from Voices of Destiny was modeled on the final scene of "Sister Act 2." Singing "Joyful, Joyful," a triumphant hymn set to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Voices of Destiny filled Music Hall with gorgeous, joyous sound. The judges agreed: it was like being in church. 

The runner-up was Any Direction, an all-male choir from General Electric with great sound and even better choreography.



"Your commitment to the dance moves was epic!" Lachey said. 

FAN FAVORITE AND MORE 
 
Insuring Harmony, a team from Cincinnati Insurance Group, was named the most inspiring performance of the evening, dedicating their songs to veterans and other everyday heroes. The Duke Energy Power Chords, with their classic style and strong harmonies, earned an honorable mention by the judges. Glee East Fourth, a choir collected from the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and other organizations based in the building at 3 E. Fourth St., took home the Cincinnati Spirit award for its performance of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" and "Cincinnati Dreaming," while wild card entry Straight Talk earned the Cincinnati Endurance award for a performance that outlined the struggles of Cincinnati sports fans. 



The Fan Favorite was the Treble Rebels from Great American Insurance Group. Every dollar donated was counted as one vote, and people contributed more than $1,700 for the arts that make Cincinnati amazing in honor of the CincySings choirs they found amazing. The donations benefit the ArtsWave's Annual Community Campaign, running through April 28, which aims to raise $12.45 million.