The Cayman Islands National Orchestra has been at the forefront of bringing classical musical performances to the Cayman community and despite dwindling numbers following hurricane Ivan, continues to perform at many high-profile events throughout the calendar year.
Sue Horrocks, musical director, founder and conductor has been at its helm since its inception in 2001.
‘Up until just a few years ago there was no national orchestra on the island. A great deal of money had been spent in the past importing musicians from the rest of the world to perform at events and I felt that there was sufficient musical talent in Cayman to warrant one,’ Ms Horrocks said.
‘I also felt it was important to encourage classical performances on the island. Classical music is a very important genre and introduces people to music that they would not normally have access to,’ she added.
Through her knowledge of the Cayman Islands music scene and contacts with musicians a small orchestra was quickly formed. Starting out as a chamber orchestra with approximately 12 members, their first performance was at the choir’s 25th anniversary concert in 2001.
The flourishing CNO quickly went on to develop into a full orchestra with up to 30 musicians, delighting audiences with a host of challenging musical performances for its relatively young age, from Beethoven’s Second Symphony, Rossini’s Overture, Fingal’s Cave to baroque classics and lighter works.
Post Ivan however the CNO shrunk to its current 14 members and is now struggling to recover.
The CNO, which includes many music professionals and experienced performers, is making do with no brass section and an increasingly shrinking string section. As a result it has been actively seeking new members.
‘Before the storm we use to have about 12 string players. We now have just four and no violas,’ Miss Horrocks said. ‘In addition we also lost a large part of our brass section; three French horn players, two trombonists and two trumpeters.
‘Following Ivan many people chose to leave the island for various reasons. End of contracts, or career progression,’ Ms Horrocks added, keen to stress that there are no sinister reasons behind the CNO’s falling numbers.
‘You are simply at the mercy of who comes and goes on the island.’
Yet despite reduced numbers the orchestra, which has been busy raising funds to replace sheet music lost in the storm, has continued with its usual programme of events. To address the musical balance, Ms Horrocks often rearranges the music to suit the orchestra’s current size.
Last April the CNO performed alongside the Cayman National choir – which Ms Horrocks also directs – Mozart’s Requiem, as well as several successful fundraising events at Castaway’s in November and its usual Christmas programme, Simply Christmas, which was full to capacity.
This year it will perform for the second time at the forthcoming bi-annual Cayman Arts Festival, Saturday, 18 February, several opera choruses, arias and duets, including Carmen, O Sole Mio and Traviata. CNO is also in the midst of planning a summer concert, with details to be finalised soon.
For many of the larger performances, including the Arts Festival, the CNO relies on musicians from overseas to plug the gaps in order to create a full and balanced orchestra.
The orchestra’s performance at the Arts Festival will see members play alongside 21 musicians from the Palm Beach Opera, South Florida, who are flying in specially to perform. Musicians include those areas where the CNO are particularly short, including violinists, trombonists, and cello and clarinet players, amongst others.
Despite its relatively small numbers, Ms Horrocks explained that it is not the size of the orchestra that matters, but the importance of having each section – woodwind, brass, percussion and strings – balanced.
However, being small does have its advantages, she said.
‘Getting everyone together for rehearsals is a lot easier and the ensemble is a lot tighter than it would otherwise be.’
If you are interested in joining the CNO, email Sue Horrocks at [email protected].
To find out more about the CNO’s forthcoming performance at the Cayman Arts Festival, log on to www.caymanartsfestival.com, or turn to page A5 for an event schedule, ticket details and related feature.
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