The 2006 Cayman Arts Festival started on Friday night with the Harlem Gospel Choir singing to a full house at the First Baptist Church on Crewe Road. Afterwards, it was hard to imagine any other act opening the week-plus celebration of music and theatre.
The well-travelled choir has obviously rehearsed and polished its programme. But the singers individually and collectively transmitted energy and excitement to their appreciative audience and left everyone wanting more.
Encouraged to stand, clap and even sing along, audience members at first responded conservatively. Then one soloist gave them a ‘New York pass’ that allowed them to be ‘loud and crazy’. Since this is Cayman, no one went quite that far, but participation did crank up several notches.
Toward the end, choir director Allen Bailey called festival organisers to the stage: Jennifer Micallef, Glen Inanga and Sharon Roulstone. By that time the three hard workers could genuinely relax and smile because it was clear that the response to Friday night’s event bode well for the rest of the 2006 Cayman Arts Festival.
Ms Roulstone began the evening by explaining the purpose of the festival, noting it is a not for profit organisation. It has a long-term vision for promoting the musical arts in Cayman through performances, workshops ‘and hopefully scholarships one day for Cayman’s school children’.
Shorter-term objectives include obtaining a concert grand piano. ‘Experience and stress have proven that it is now necessary we have one of our own,’ she said.
The festival continues with jazz tonight at the Marriott, Bones Apart at First Baptist Church on Thursday, Better Read Than Dead at Bacchus on Fort Street on Friday and The Night of a Hundred Voices on Saturday back at the First Baptist Church.
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