NYOJ celebrates cultural fusion

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

The large turnout at the Liguanea-based St Peter and Paul were held at musical mercy by 10 instructors and their 50 students. Armed with wood, wind and string instruments, the students from St Andrew Technical, Kingston College, Alpha and Denham Town high schools, members of the National Youth Orchestra of Jamaica (NYOJ), along with their multinational instructors, gave a lovely concert, in spite of a short rehearsal window.

The well-selected pieces span different genres of music - classical, jazz, meringue, reggae, and American and Jamaican folk songs - all creatively arranged by talented instructors.

Avery Waite is one of the instructors. In spite of being on the island for only two months, the lanky American hit the musical spot with his selections and arrangements of Bob Marley's, Three Little Birds, Redemption Song, and Jamaican folk songs Wata Come a Me Eye and Hold 'Em Joe. So why did he choose these songs?

"Well, I figured that the kids love playing their own music, music that is familiar, music that they grew up with, that their parents sing to them, so these old Jamaican folk songs with their mento, they just connected on a whole," Waite explained.

The folk song, Hold 'Em Joe, was selected because of its high tempo, it is very rhythmic and very jazzy, while the very sad love song, Wata Come a Me Eye, allows for a more fanciful arrangement.

Waite made a connection with the music in spite of the language. In fact, he has a big book of Jamaican folk songs and has spent a lot of time looking through it and working on the arrangements, and so has a couple more ready for the next concert.

THINGS GET GOING

The Saturday evening concert, titled 'Celebración A Cultural Fusion' and organised by the NYOJ and the Embassy of Spain got going after a late start, with opening remarks and welcome from Nigel Clarke, NYOJ chairman, and Spanish Ambassador Celsa Nuño.

Among those who were welcomed by the ambassador was Spanish guest conductor Hugo Carrio, who, she said, described his Jamaican experience as an enriching one. But what she did not say was how talented he was.

After the intermission, the audience were to learn why he was the guest conductor.

With the full orchestra, wood, wind and strings at his finger tips, the youthful-looking maestro had the audience captivated as he guided his musicians through Handel's Minuet in D arranged by Jamaican Daren Young, Waite's two folk arrangements and D. Bellwood's Three Latin Dance.

But it was with Carlos Medrano's Merengue en Primero that his skill as a conductor was on full display.

The first sign of his creativity came when he had the young student musicians all swaying in unison, then in four groups, he had them doing a dolphin-like dance, or better yet, before moving into a Mexican wave, all the while playing the uptempo Spanish song.

And as if that was not enough, he instructed them to dance in circles, still playing their instruments, much to the delight of the audience who gave a standing ovation and requested a repeat performance of the piece.

He obliged but asked them to join him in giving the count.

Carrio, delighted by both the response from his stewards and the audience, later explained to The Gleaner that he enjoyed the opportunity to teach the children to dance with their instruments, in essence to enjoy the music while playing.

There were some challenges, though, with the two new pieces (Merengue en Primero and Three Latin Dance) but the students learned quickly, thus overcoming the challenges.

The entertaining programme also included performances by various sections of the orchestra - strings, choir, percussion and brass - each item announced by the instructor before conducting the group. The next concert is scheduled for some time next year.

The first sign of his creativity came when he had the young student musicians all swaying in unison, then in four groups, he had them doing a dolphin-like dance, or better yet, before moving into a Mexican wave, all the while playing the uptempo Spanish song.