From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
Nassau Music Society's Ensemble Du Monde: "Festival of Afro-Caribbean Composers" February 20-25
By Italia Watkins, Nassau Music Society
Feb 22, 2013 - 5:49:46 PM
Nassau, Bahamas - On February 20-25, 2013, the Nassau Music
Society will hold a "Festival of Afro-Caribbean Composers" in Nassau.
International Orchestra Ensemble Du Monde will arrive on February 20th and
perform five concerts before leaving on Monday 25th.
The Nassau Music Society has organised an
additional concert to start off the Festivities on Wednesday, February, 20th at
7:30 PM with performances by the Bahamas National Youth Choir, JoAnn Callender
and College of The Bahamas’ faculty ensemble, C-
Force. It will be a fantastic week of music and entertainment not to be missed!
The Chevalier
de Saint-George is not a name with which many are familiar. He was,
however, one of the most prolific composers of his day, 1745 - 1799. Born to a
French noble and freed slave mother in Guadeloupe, his father took him and his
mother to live in France. In a nutshell, he was taken under the wing of Louis
XVI and became a brilliant violinist, the fencing champion of France and a
great composer. He lived at the same time as Mozart and is sometimes referred
to as the "Black Mozart" as their compositions are similar. He may
have met Mozart in Paris although this is not certain but they did influence
each other.
The Nassau Music Society’s Festival is built around his music and music
from other composers from the Caribbean region, both past and present, such as
Dominique Le Gendre and Cleophas Adderley.
Ensemble du Monde, the orchestra which will
showcase their music, is comprised of Afro-American, American and International
musicians and is directed and conducted by Marlon Daniel. It includes a quartet
- Quatuor Mahogany - as well as a Chamber Group.
The Festival begins with an evening of
Caribbean music at the Performance Arts Centre of the College of The Bahamas
featuring the Bahamas National Youth Choir conducted by Cleophas Adderley,
C-Force with Chris Justilien, Dr Christy Lee and Dr Christine Gangelhoff, and a
special guest performance by Bahamian soprano JoAnn Callender.
This will be a very enjoyable evening as all of
the artists are well known for their talent.
The following day, Thursday, February 21st,
from 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM, a seminar entitled “Bahamas International Symposium on Composers of African &
Afro-Caribbean Descent will be held in The Harry C. Moore Library & Information
Centre Auditorium of the College of the Bahamas and all are welcome to
attend. The 2013 Bahamas International Symposium will engage musicians,
composers, and scholars from all over the world in presentations, performances,
and conversations around composers and performers of African and Afro-Caribbean
descent. It will be organized around the theme “Caribbean Art Music: An Unexplored Tradition”.
Just some of the many performers to expect at the Festival!
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Musical genres associated with the Caribbean
typically include popular and traditional styles. Although many composers of
art music have emerged from Caribbean nations and from the Caribbean Diaspora,
information on this subject is scarce. As composers are slowly gaining
recognition, a new understanding of and visibility for Caribbean art music is
emerging. The mission of this symposium is to explore this topic of regional
and international interest, drawing perspectives from a wide range of
disciplines.
The Symposium is organised by Dr. Christine
Gangelhoff of the College of The Bahamas and Mr. Marlon Daniel of Ensemble du
Monde in association with the Nassau Music Society and is free of charge.
Details may be seen at: www.nassaumusicsociety.org
That same evening, the Chamber Group and the
Quatuor Mahogany will hold a private concert for the Governor General, His
Excellency Sir Arthur Foulkes and Lady Foulkes.
On Friday, February 22, following a morning
rehearsal during which students will be allowed to "look in" and
listen on the last half hour, the orchestra will hold an educational concert at
the College of The Bahamas entitled
"Before there was Mozart: A Concert for the Youth of The
Bahamas". This 45 minute concert and video presentation relating the story
of the Chevalier de Saint- George or
the "Black Mozart" will be narrated by Chrissy Love. After the
performance students will be given the opportunity to ask questions and mingle
with the orchestra before receiving a light lunch. This event has been sponsored by the Embassy
of the United States and the concert, lunch and transportation are free for all
students attending. Teachers must reserve immediately to ensure seats for their
class.
On Friday evening at 8:00 PM a full orchestral
concert entitled: “Diversity at the Time of
Mozart” will be held in the
Atlantis Theatre. Atlantis has very kindly consented to house the Orchestra for
the duration of the Festival. Tickets for this concert can be obtained from the
Atlantis Box Office by calling
242-363-6601, by visiting the box office during office hours or by
booking directly with box.office@atlantisparadise.com.
This is an excellent opportunity to listen to
the orchestra and then enjoy the activities at Atlantis.
On Saturday, February 23rd at 7:30
PM, there is a second full orchestral concert at the College of the Bahamas Performing
Arts Centre which is billed as the Nassau Music Society's contribution to the
40th Anniversary of Independence of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. A
highlight of the concert is the performance of a composition written by
Cleophas Adderley ,"Sanctus" -
a new world premiere and also the world premiere of a composition written by
Dominique Le Gendre, a Trinidadian composer, living in London. They will both
be in attendance at the concert.
The Nassau Music Society is proposing VIP
tickets for this concert which will include a pre-concert 30 minute lecture by
Marlon Daniel and others, VIP seating in the front of the theatre, an after
concert-champagne reception and opportunity to meet members of the orchestra.
On Sunday, February 24th, there is a
final event at St Paul's Church Hall, Lyford Cay at 5.30 in the afternoon. A
one hour concert will feature the Chamber Group and Quatuor Mahogany, followed
by a reception.
This Festival is only possible because of the
continued support of the Nassau Music Society’s sponsors, particularly, Societe Generale Private Banking, its
principal sponsor.
Atlantis has been very generous in helping to
fund the event and the US Embassy is sponsoring the Concert for the Youth of
The Bahamas. Regular annual sponsors including Pictet Bank and Trust, RoyalStar
Assurance and Colina Insurance and this year the Endowment for the Performing
Arts have all made this exceptional event possible and the Society is grateful
for their generosity. Other sponsors not included at print time will be
mentioned in future press releases.
Tickets for all concerts, with the exception of
the Atlantis concert on Friday evening may be reserved on our website www.nassaumusicsociety.org or purchased at the following box offices:
Logos Book Store, Harbour Bay Shopping Centre; Custom Computers, Cable Beach;
Moir and Co, Lyford Cay Shopping Centre and Chapter One Bookstore, Oakes Field.
There are reduced prices for members and in some cases free tickets are
available provided membership is renewed or taken out before January 31, 2013.
VIP tickets for the Saturday night concert must be purchased in advance.
Tickets will also be available at the door provided that space is still
available and on a first come, first served basis.
The last time the Nassau Music Society brought
an orchestra to Nassau was when it hosted the Moscow Soloists in 2005 and they
played to full houses. We anticipate the demand for tickets to this Festival to
be heavy so it would be advisable to purchase your seats well in advance.
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