Some 110 students blended their voices together in a celebration of music as Cayman International School hosted a concert with international school choirs.
Students from across South America and the Caribbean joined CIS in the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) Latin American Middle and High School Honor Choirs concert on Saturday night.
The audience packed the high school gymnasium for the concert, part of AMIS’ 50th festival season, which brought together students from CIS, the Cayman Youth Choir, and six international schools in a cross-cultural exchange and collaboration.
Led by AMIS choir conductors Rhonda Schwartz and Melanie Brink, and accompanists Hari Solano and Brianna Rodriguez, the choir ensemble performed several pieces, including traditional Nigerian, Yoruba and Italian songs.
The combined choirs also brought a bit of Caymanian heritage to the evening, performing an arrangement of the traditional Cayman folk song ‘Southeast by South’.
Cultural collaboration
CIS band director and host organiser Cody Gifford told the Cayman Compass the event had been in the making for a year.
“We have been a member of the AMIS for 20 years. A year ago, we raised our hands and said we’d host, and it has been an exciting journey because this is really a special thing to have happen. To bring kids together from far and wide to do something, not to compete with each other, but to join hands and collaborate.”
Megan Highfill, AMIS executive director, told the Compass, “We are so joyful to be here in the Cayman Islands. We have never come to this part of the world, even though CIS has been a member and come to us. The welcome we have received and the experiences we had here have been like nowhere else, so this is an amazing experience.”
AMIS conducts more than 20 festivals a year, Highfill noted, adding, “Music, in addition to just being something that is so supportive of mental health and physical health and holistic learning, teaches things like stamina and dedication and, most importantly to us, ensemble. These students started out as strangers and there will be tears at the airport when they have to leave each other. They have become fast friends with students here in Cayman and then students from all over the world.”
Prior to the concert, AMIS members took part in three days of rehearsals and cultural activities on island, including a workshop with internationally renowned steel pannist Earl La Pierre.
While the event was free, attendees were encouraged to donate to the AMIS Scholarship Fund, supporting students who require financial assistance to participate in AMIS festivals. To learn more, visit the AMIS website.
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