By Cayman Compass contributor Christopher Tobutt
There are evenings at the Harquail Theatre when you step inside and feel as though you’ve walked straight into a Cayman morning – bright, generous, full of warmth. “Daylight and Radiance”, presented by the Cayman National Choir and Orchestra on Friday, 12 June, was exactly that kind of evening.
As Charity Putman, chair of the Cayman National Choir and Orchestra, said before the performance, the programme was “diverse and full of joy”, shaped by the thrill of working with the Cayman Islands Folk Singers and sharing the stage with them for this concert.
Last October’s ‘Twilight and Silhouettes’ concert lingered in the dusky borderlands where light and shadow mingle, while March’s “Dawn and Awakening” traced the first fragile edge of morning. Now came ‘Daylight and Radiance’ – no silhouettes, no half-light, just radiance and positive vibes – unfiltered and unapologetic.
The Choir and Orchestra opened with John Leavitt’s “Festival Sanctus”, a glorious, sunshine-infused, angelic burst of sound. It felt like the first triumphant step onto a beach already warm beneath your feet. The orchestra’s “Another Day of Sun” followed with exuberant brass – that unmistakable ‘pom pom pom’ confidence – rhythmic, joyful, audacious. Kris Berg’s “Sun Shower softened the light into something shimmering and playful.
Pierre Certon’s “Je le vous dirai”, introduced with a storyteller’s wink, carried the audience to a 16th century French village: a jealous husband, a beautiful wife, and a secret everyone knows. Sung a cappella in three-part harmony by the ladies’ ensemble, it sparkled and shone.
Mark Hayes’ arrangement of “What a Wonderful World” settled over the room like a warm hand on the shoulder, before Arturo Márquez’s “Conga del Fuego Nuevo” snapped everything back into rhythmic fire – sunlight turning suddenly to flame.
And then the emotional centre: Stephen McTaggart’s “Come Back Home”, performed with the Cayman Islands Folk Singers. Verse by verse, the song moves across Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, a parent’s open-armed plea to children scattered across the world. In that moment, the concert’s brightness deepened into something tender, something rooted, as the conductor beckoned to the audience to join in with the chorus: “Come back home … come back home to your islands ….”
After the intermission, “Fireball” burst forward with brass driven bravado. “Island in the Sun”, complete with Cayman steel pan, unfurled into a medley of Caribbean memory – “Kingston Market”, a broad sweep of island heritage, Calypso-style. Yukiko Nishimura’s “Bright Lights” brought a majestic glow, while “Walking on Sunshine” – with full brass, guitar, drums and bass – sent a ripple of delight through the room. Even “Walking on the Sun” strutted with bold, brash swagger – sunlight with attitude.
Before “Found/Tonight”, one of the conductors offered a quiet word: “If you feel you are in a dark place tonight, we hope this will help you find the light once again.” And the piece rose like a lantern of hope. The finale, “Joyful, Joyful” – the “Sister Act” gospel version of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” – was pure radiance. It rose and rose, a final blaze of colour, a reminder that joy is not a small thing, and never a quiet one.
If “Twilight” was shadow, and “Dawn” was promise, then ‘Daylight and Radiance’ was the full arrival – the sun at its zenith. A concert that didn’t just perform light, but carried it, held it and shared it. And the audience, stepping out into the Cayman night, carried that warmth, sunlight and joy home.
Christopher Tobutt is a freelance journalist who has written for various publications in the Cayman Islands since 2003.
Related Videos
