The imaginations of Sue Horrocks and Jonathan Taylor, musical directors of the Cayman National Choir and Orchestra, have been recently captivated by nature’s fauna.
The result is the creation of ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, a melodic feast for the eyes and ears, being held at the Harquail Theatre for one night only on Friday, 23 April.
The evening promises an eclectic mix of classical and popular music that includes pieces by John Taverner, John Rutter, Rossini, John Williams, Elton John, and choral arrangements of popular music by Bob Marley and The Beatles.
Horrocks and Taylor are always drumming up fantastic concepts that translate into sold-out events. The Royal Variety Performance, held on 30 Oct., was a huge hit. And the annual Christmas concert at Elmslie Memorial United Church never fails to draw the crowds.
This latest foray into the wonderful world of beasties is sure to entertain.
“Regular concertgoers will know the thrill of hearing a live performance of our choir and orchestra,” said orchestra director Taylor. “‘All Creatures Great and Small’ will be no exception. This is a concert that will touch the heart, stir the emotions, lift the spirits and put a smile on every face. There will be something for everyone to enjoy!”
Also performing will be the Cayman Youth Choir, a diverse and inclusive representation of the young people of Cayman. They will be performing two songs: A beautiful, lyrical arrangement of Eva Cassidy’s ‘Songbird’, followed by the more lively ‘Something Wild’ from the Disney remake of the movie ‘Pete’s Dragon’, featuring Sarah Newman on violin.
Musical director of the CYC, Naomi Allnutt, said, “The opportunity to perform alongside the Cayman National Choir and Orchestra is a rare privilege and one that we are most grateful for. We consider the National Choir [to be] the next step on the musical journey for our young singers.”
She added her thanks for being given the chance to highlight the talents of the younger performers, and hoped the audience will enjoy their presentation.
Horrocks echoed Allnutt’s sentiments, saying that the choir and orchestra were very enthusiastic about the material and she anticipated a similar reaction from the audience.
She also remarked about how lucky everyone was to be able to put on a production of this size, considering social-distancing restrictions in the rest of the world.
“At the time of this terrible pandemic we are a very privileged community to be able to perform these concerts with over eighty musicians and singers on stage and an audience of three hundred people,” she said.
As there were still restrictions in December on the number of people that could gather, the CNCO livestreamed their Elmslie concert for the very first time, so no one would miss the Christmas tradition. This technology will be employed again for the upcoming concert.
“Following the success of the livestreaming of our Christmas concert at Elmslie Memorial Church, which reached over 15,000 people. ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel, if you can’t make the live performance,” Horrocks said.
If, after attending the show, you get bitten by the musical bug, consider joining the choir, which is recruiting for its summer concert. First rehearsals start on Monday, 26 April. There is no audition and no need to read music; enthusiasm is all that is required.
Potential interested orchestra members should email [email protected] to see if there’s a vacancy.
‘All Creatures Great and Small’ will be performed at the Harquail Theatre at 7:30pm on Friday, 23 April. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for children and are available from Eventpro.ky or choir and orchestra members. For further information, email [email protected].
Related Videos
