Nassau, The Bahamas – The Department of Youth in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture announced recently that the 2011 E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival is scheduled to begin March 1 at the Lucaya Convention Centre in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

According to a statement, the Festival’s Grand Bahama adjudications will run until March 11. New Providence will follow, starting on March 14, and running through March 25.

Beginning in April, the statement added, adjudications will begin in the other Family Islands. Abaco will lead this list on April 4, and ending with Inagua later in the year, the statement said.

In Grand Bahama Drama and Music Adjudications run March 1-11, Dance Adjudications run March 5-7, 11 and Arts and Crafts Adjudications are on June 3.

In New Providence Dance Adjudications run February 28 – March 4, Music and Drama Adjudications run March 14 – 25, and Arts and Crafts Adjudications are on June, 1.

Entries are now being received from New Providence and Grand Bahama.Entries will be received until February 18, in both locations.

The following are the 2011 dates for the Family Islands: Abaco, April 4 – 8; Eleuthera, Harbour and Current Islands, April 11 – 14; Ragged Island, April 15; Mangrove Cay, Andros, April 18; Moore’s Island, Abaco, April 19; South Andros, May 5; Rum Cay, May 6; Farmer’s Cay, May 17; Black Point, May 17; Bimini, May 9; Long Island, May 10 – 11; San Salvador, May 12; Berry Islands, May 18 –19; Cat Island, May 20, 2011; Crooked Island, 24; Long Cay, 25; Acklins, May 26; Exuma, May 27 – 28; North and Central Andros, May 30 - 31; Mayaguana, 1 and Inagua, June 1 and 2.

The statement noted that dates are subject to change and if there are any further questions, interested persons may contact Keva Cartwright at 502-0632 or 502-0600.

The Department also identified the adjudicators for this year’s Festival.

The Choral and Instrumental Music Adjudicator is Ms. Helen Peloquin. Ms. Peloquin graduated from the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal Canada in 1974, with honours. The Conservatoire is a Performing School similar to Juliard, in New York or McGill University in Ontario, Canada. The Curriculum included Harmony, Solfege, Choir, Chamber Orchestra, Music Arrangement, Analysis, Music Arrangement and Multiple Performance. She studied with Isabelle Nef in Annecy, France in 1974. She was a Performing Artist from 1975 –1995 and was a cellist for the Ottawa Chamber Ensemble in 1989. She was also a Cellist for the Auckland Symphony Orchestra in New Zealand. Presently, she is Principal Cellist, Librarian, Tutor, Webmaster and Secretary for the Bahamas National Symphony Orchestra. She is also the founder of Strings n’ Tings and co-founder of the Nassau Chamber Ensemble, in 2009.

Lawrence Carroll returns as Dance Adjudicator and he began his dance training with the New Breed Dancers in Nassau. Later, he travelled to Toronto, Canada, to advance his studies at Ryerson University, where he studied Theatre Arts and graduated with Honours. Also at the Canadian College of Dance, he studied classical ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance and modern dance and national dance with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. After graduating from Ryerson University, he began teaching at the National Dance School and later went to A. F. Adderley, C.C. Sweeting and D. W. Davis schools, among others.

Mr. Carroll has represented The Bahamas at many regional and international festivals throughout the years, including Commonwealth Arts Festival (Edmonton, Canada), CARIFESTA Barbados, CARIFESTA Jamaica, and CARIFESTA Cuba. He also was a part of Ministry of Tourism promotional tours to Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.

James Catalyn also returns to the Festival as Drama Adjudicator. Mr. Catalyn studied drama at De’ Paul University in Chicago, Illinois and graduated with honours. He has had the good fortune to adjudicate in many different venues throughout the years, the statement said. He is the winner of numerous awards including the Chamber of Commerce Distinguish Citizen Award; the International Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellows Award; the Delta Sigma Sorority (Bahamas) Performing Arts Award; the Meta Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts; the 1st Identity Artist Award, among many others. Bahamian culture has been brought to the forefront by the prolific writings of Mr. Catalyn whose works have been performed on stage, radio and throughout the islands of The Bahamas. James and his friends have also represented The Bahamas internationally in New Zealand, Trinidad, and Bermuda and at the United Nations in New York City. The statement added that his insistence that Bahamians speak “Bahamianese” has made many more aware of the beauty and uniqueness of Bahamian dialect, and in his writings and performances, he accentuates the beauty of our language, while encouraging us to be proud of this aspect of our culture.

The Arts and Crafts Adjudicator is Kishshan Munroe. Born in Nassau, the statement said, Mr. Munroe is “the product of a social, cultural, and historic continuum of artists in a region where the tradition of art-making is expressed through its many layers of varied and complex histories”. Mr Antonius Robert is one of his early mentors. He received his first degree from The Savannah College of Arts & Design, where he doubled majored in Painting and Visual Effects and completed his under graduate degree with honours. Mr. Munroe went on to further his studies at his alma mater on a graduate fellowship and concluded his studies, again, with honours. Mr. Munroe’s works have been exhibited both in the Caribbean and the United states and are included in many public and private collections. He is also the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including grants from the Endowment of the Arts (Bahamas), The Governor’s Choice Award (Bahamas) and the Combined Merit Fellowship at the Savannah College of Art & Design.