The eclectic line-up of musicians gracing various stages proved a fitting celebration for the 20th anniversary of the Cayman Arts Festival.
The performances, running from 18 Feb.-1 March, included local and international musicians and vocalists taking the stage with eclectic mixes of classical, jazz, and contemporary genres..
Audiences attended events at venues across Grand Cayman – the Harquail Theatre, Cayman Islands Baptist Church, St. George’s Anglican Church, John Gray High School Performance Hall and Camana Bay Cinema.
The festival opened with a captivating organ recital by acclaimed artist Asiya Korepanova.
Following that performance, audiences were treated to a recital featuring Korepanova and Cayman’s own pianist Glen Inanga.
There was also a classical music concert for children followed by an evening with the CAF String Orchestra, conducted by Grammy winner John McLaughlin Williams.
Inanga then featured on the piano again, in a recital with Caymanian cellist Dequan Smith and McLaughlin Williams playing violin.
Chamber music was also well-represented with a performance by Kansas City-based Bach Aria Soloists, led by artistic director/violinist Elizabeth Suh Lane, and featuring trumpeter Rodney Marsalis.
CAF’s Youth Camerata, composed of Cayman’s young musicians, then took centre stage, joined by Trio Balanas – Latvian siblings comprising two violinists and a cellist – performing both classical and modern music.
The final day wrapped with a sold-out Trio Balanas recital on 1 March.
Now that the curtain has fallen on the 2024 edition, music festival organisers are looking to continue the musical celebrations.
“As we plan to celebrate the entire year our 20th anniversary, we consider the festival just the beginning of a series of events that will continue through the year,” Marius Gaina, executive director for CAF, told the Compass.
“We think we started on the right foot, with a lot of events, well-attended with great feedback from the public. It was an amazing atmosphere, no matter if the concerts were for kids or adults, in schools, for students or for senior citizens, everything went really well, and we hope this will be the trend for the next couple of months.”
For more, check out Cayman Arts Festival.
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