Are you ready for a selection of the finest music and
artistic events you’ll see in the Caribbean? Well, if you’re not you’d better
start getting there because the Cayman Arts Festival
is imminent and there are a host of fabulous events to suit everyone. The
festival takes place in a number of venues and is set to be the best and
biggest ever even by Arts Festival standards.
Bold As...
The first evening of musical magic is Thursday, 9 February
with Bold As… which is an evening with the legendary Canadian Brass. This takes
place at First Baptist Church and is sponsored by Appleby and Coutts. Five tremendous brass musicians –
each a virtuoso in his own right – form the legendary Canadian Brass. With an
international reputation as one of the most popular brass ensembles today,
Canadian Brass has truly earned the distinction of “the world’s most famous brass group”. Their varied repertoire
features brass standards, as well as the works of Renaissance and Baroque
masters, classical works, marches, ragtime, Dixieland, Latin, jazz, big band,
and Broadway. Canadian Brass has a discography of over 90 albums. The hallmark
of any Canadian Brass performance is entertainment, spontaneity, virtuosity, and
most of all, fun.
Breaking the Barrier – from Bach to Billie Jean
The very next evening, Friday, 10 February, has the great
Breaking the Barrier event at The Crescent, Camana Bay, sponsored by Island
Heritage Insurance and Camana Bay. In From Bach
to Billie Jean, Charles Yang, violin, and Peter Dugan, piano, illustrate the
organic connection between the classical, rock, and pop worlds. This is a free
event. Described by the Boston
Globe as “one who plays classical
violin with the charisma of a rock star” and by the Texas Observer as “A crossover artist, a pioneer who can hop
between classical and popular music and bring fresh ideas to fans of both
genres”, Juilliard School of Music Masters student Charles Yang has
performed in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to the Forbidden City in
Beijing. He is a composer/songwriter, violinist, electric violinist, guitarist,
keyboardist, and vocalist, and has won numerous prestigious prizes across North
America.
Blues in the Church
Blues in
the Church in the company of the Julliard Jazz Ensemble is the order of the
evening on Saturday, 11 February, sponsored by Caymanian Compass and taking
place at First Baptist Church. Blues
in the Church, conceived by pianist Mulgrew Miller, is inspired by hymns and well-known
gospel pieces of the US South, and specifically the Mississippi Delta. "To this day, I remain a big lover of
hymns. Their melodies are memorable and when sung or played in the
African-American folk feeling we call the blues, they seem to seep into the
depths of one's soul. The blues is about surviving suffering: longing, that
chronic, insatiable and intrinsic longing of the soul for its Maker. Somehow,
love is in the midst of it. The marriage of religious music to the blues has
made for an expression of powerful cultural significance.“
This performance will include some gospel songs by UCCI Choir, trained
and accompanied by the Juilliard Jazz Ensemble, and feature the CMEA Young
Musician of the Year. The Jazz Ensemble will also conduct an educational
workshop for high school musicians, and an interactive session with the UCCI
steel pan group.
Seoul
Sisters
Thursday,
16 February at First Baptist Church is the place to be for Seoul Sisters in
company of the wonderful Ahn Trio. Korean born and Juilliard educated, the Ahn
Trio of sisters Maria on cello, Lucia on piano, and Angella on violin bring new
energy and excitement to the chamber music world. They have recorded six
albums, and their latest CD, ‘Lullaby for my Favourite Insomniac’ made No.8 on
the Billboard Charts for 26 weeks in the Classical Album category. In addition
to their brilliant musicianship, their combination of talent and style led to
them being named three of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in 2003.
The Ahn Trio have been touring for over 10 years, and have shared their
innovative spirit and ever-evolving vision of music in venues as diverse as the
Lincoln Centre, Vienna’s Musikverein, Beijing’s Concert Hall, Istanbul’s Aya
Irini in Topaki Palace, and in front of 10,000 screaming fans at the World
Music Festival in the Czech Republic. They will also conduct a masterclass with
Caymanian string students.
A Big Song and Dance
On Saturday, 18 February at
6.30pm, Pedro St. James hosts A Big Song and Dance, sponsored by Butterfield. Conductor, composer, writer and
educator Ronald Corp leads this celebration of local excellence, featuring the
Cayman Youth Choir, joined by massed choirs from primary and secondary school,
local dance talent, and Butterfield Young Musician of the Year finalists. Ronald
Corp founded the London Chorus over 25 years ago, and followed with the
formation of the New London Children’s Choir and the New London Orchestra. He
will compose a new composition which will have its world premiere at this
event. This is based on a poem by Cayman’s own Kimberly Eccleston, a pupil at
Clifton Hunter High School.
Tickets
Canadian
Brass, Blues in the Church, Ahn Trio, Big Song & Dance $30 Adults $10 kids
if bought online at caymanboxoffice.com, $35 and $15 at the gate; Big Song
& Dance family ticket $50 (family of four) online $55 at the gate; a season ticket for all events is $100.
You can
check out the music on the festival site caymanartsfestival.com which is an
absolute treasure of information. There’s definitely something for all ages and
backgrounds here – see you there.
Fringe Events:
Visual Arts
Monday, 13
February
Bendel Hydes exhibition and cocktail function,
hosted by the artist (in collaboration with the National Gallery) at the new
National Gallery
Dance
Tuesday, 14 February
Celebrate Valentines Day with an outdoor
screening of the ballet Romeo and Juliet. at Gardenia Court, Camana Bay
Supporting Sponsors:
Department of Tourism, Cayman Airways, Radio
Cayman, Weststar TV
Festival Sponsors:
Stepping Stones, Walkers, Cayman National,
Deutsche Bank, Sunshine Suites
For more information visit
caymanartsfestival.com
If you are interested in sponsoring the
festival or you would like to be a friend of the festival please contact Simon
Harvey enquiries@caymanartsfestival.com