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NCOJ opens November Season with music of adoration

Published:Wednesday | November 9, 2022 | 12:06 AM
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Dawn Marie James, who was honoured by the chorale at its Excellence Awards Ceremony, is among the performers for the November Season.
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Dawn Marie James, who was honoured by the chorale at its Excellence Awards Ceremony, is among the performers for the November Season.
The National Chorale of Jamaica in performance at the Golden Gala Concert at the University Chapel, UWI Mona in Kingston in August.
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The National Chorale of Jamaica in performance at the Golden Gala Concert at the University Chapel, UWI Mona in Kingston in August.
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Music of Adoration, Praise and Thanksgiving is the theme for the National Chorale of Jamaica’s (NCOJ) November Season, as it continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary of showcasing excellence in music.

The musical observance will present notable works of Schubert and Ralph Vaughan Williams, and will unfold over three dates. On November 16 and 20 there will be performances at the Holy Cross Church, and Christ Church will be the venue on November 19. All performances start at 7 p.m.

Returning to the island, after being honoured by the chorale earlier this year at its Excellence Awards Ceremony, is Jamaican international opera singer Dawn Marie James who resides in Atlanta, Georgia. NCOJ’s featured lead soloists will include Christine McDonald-Nevers (soprano); Brenton McLean (tenor) and Michael Sutherland (bass), as well as organist extraordinaire Dr Richard Beckford.

The notable works of the musical masters Schubert and Ralph Vaughan Williams will be presented by the choir. Included is Schubert’s Mass No 2 in G Major, a simple and tuneful piece, written in six days, and was first performed at the Liechtenthal Church in Germany, where Schubert sung as a choir boy.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Song of Thanksgiving was written for the BBC to mark the end of World War II with selected text from the Bible, Shakespeare and the poet Rudyard Kipling. This work is unique in that, with slight modifications, it can be used for concert or church.

According to chorale director and conductor Winston Ewart, children need to be exposed to options in music and recognising November as Youth Month, joining the choir will be the angelic voices of the Central Branch All Age School conducted by Michael Sutherland, principal and music director of the school and bass in the NCOJ.

The chorale director said the group was pleased to be staging yet another concert as it sought to close out what has been a banner year.

“We would like audiences to join us in expressing gratitude for what has been a tremendous period as we continue to celebrate Jamaica’s 60th and our own golden anniversary.”

The NCOJ is the brainchild of Geoffrey Fairweather who, along with his then wife Jean, invited a number of the best vocalists in Jamaica at the time to perform together.