Youth bring notes of joy

By Gercine Carter

The Barbados National Youth Symphony Orchestra thrilled a packed Frank Collymore Hall for the holidays on December 12, with its annual Classical Best of Youth concert XII, dubbed “Favourite Things”.

Under the baton of director Joy Knight-Lynch, the Barbados National Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Barbados Junior Orchestra and the Barbados Symphony Orchestra delivered symphonic performances of so high a standard, that at the end, appreciative patrons concluded the musicians could easily command attention on any concert hall around the world.

Audience favourites were performances led by soloists, the youngest of them being eight-yearold Arturo Tappin II, who delivered a remarkably mature violin solo, in Kuchler’s Concertino in G Opus 11. Fifteen-year-old pianist Christina Edwards followed with an endearing solo performance of the popular Liebestraum No 3 by Franz Listz, on the Steinway Grand, a nostalgic piece for patrons from the days of Barbados Rediffusion.

However, 19-year-old pianist Sidney Forde, accompanied by the orchestra, took the audience on a dizzying dance, playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 21.

Master of ceremonies Denise Shepherd-Johnson introduced Johann Strauss’ Frühlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring) to close the first half of the programme, in tribute to the late Maurice Norville who had been the concert’s Master of ceremonies since 2012.

The concert aria for a charity performance, celebrating renewal joy and hope, was selected as fittingly in alignment with Maurice’s ethos and his love and support of the charitable objectives and youth development goals of the Classical Best of Youth Concert series.

Poignantly, the orchestra was accompanied by soprano Shantal Martin making her first appearance at Best of Youth since her debut with Maurice as a young teen in 2012. She delivered a performance that captured the spirit of the “Voices of Spring,” captivating the Hall and garnering a standing ovation from an ecstatic audience.

The Barbados Junior Orchestra also presented various selections under the direction of Matthew Banfield. Boundless creativity was demonstrated in the second half of the concert, with the orchestra’s stunning rendition of Barbadian superstar Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain,” punctuated by the solo performance of 15-year-old Kieron Griffith on saxophone. The Ralph Ford-arranged Christmas medley “A Swinging Holiday,” got the audience in a fully jazzed up mood for what was to follow. A Roger Gittens arrangement of Rogers and Hammerstein’s “My Favourite Things” produced specially for the concert, was the signature piece of the night. It was performed with a bold Caribbean swagger by the orchestra, and featured a mesmerizingly brilliant violin solo by Myles Gittens, son of the arranger. Rotary Club of Barbados South has hosted the annual concert year after year, as a fund-raiser. Thanking the audience for their patronage, President of the Rotary Club of Barbados South, Jacklyn Broomes noted that Rotary’s “favourite things” were the principles that shape the work of the service club – “service above self; leadership and a commitment to improving the quality of life for others.”

The evening ended on a high note, with the audience raising their voices in song as the orchestra played Handel’s majestic Hallelujah Chorus.