EVENING OF GREAT MUSIC
supplies / devices to medical clinics
and hospitals in St. Vincent
and the Grenadines,” he said.
“Overall, the feedback from
attendees was predominantly
positive and encouraging,” Liverpool
added.
For just over three hours,
the UVCGB had the audience in
stitches, as patrons sang-along,
danced, waved and applauded.
Highlights of the show included
the launching of new UVCGB
items.
“Gipsy Lady” a folk song, written
by musician and songwriter
Gordon “Don” Sutherland, was
humorously portrayed by Judith
“Buffy” Cuffy-Murray.
The folk song was based on
a traditional gipsy lady, who is
a fortune teller, voodoo queen,
charmer and pirate of the Caribbean,
who likes to do “her own
ting” and is the life of the party.
UVCGB also performed “Ah
Want De Ting Now,” a humorous
folk love story, written by Liverpool,
based on a couple’s 10-year
relationship, in which the female,
“Patience,” gets impatient with
her male partner, “Romeo,” for
not giving her “de ting”’ — the
ring (not what you were thinking)
– that she is demanding
“now.”
“Patience” was portrayed by
Vennis Alleyne and “Romeo” Ralphie
Cunningham.
As a tribute to one of the
most successful Jamaican-American
pop stars, Harry Belafonte,
UVCGB sang a “Harry Belafonte
Medley”, which included Belafonte’s
songs, his signature “Day-O,”
“Island in the Sun” and “Coconut
Woman.”
Caribbean Life, S 42 eptember 20-26, 2019 BQ
Belafonte — a singer, songwriter,
activist and actor — was
dubbed the “King of Calypso”
for popularizing the Caribbean
musical genre with an international
audience in the 1950s.
UVCGB’s skit, “Enough is
Enough,” a hilarious love story,
was written by Cuffy-Murray and
Lilius Hamblin.
It was based on a married couple,
“John” and “Telma,” having
relationship problems.
“Telma” accuses “John” of not
showing much interest in her
and blames him for their marriage
not working.
She insists that “Enough is
Enough” and invites “John” to
seek counseling, but he resists,
stating that the marriage is fine.
In the meantime, “Telma’s”
housekeeper, “Nancy”, “spills the
bean,” telling “Telma” about an
affair that her husband is having
with one of her best friends,
“Florence,” who has been encouraging
“Telma” to get a divorce.
“Telma” and “John” argues
about the relationship, with
“Telma” collaring “John” and
throwing him out of the house,
demanding divorce, despite
advice from her other best friend,
“Carol,” not to do so.
“John” returns later and begs
for reconciliation, which “Telma”
eventually agrees to — only on
the condition that he changes his
life and starts attending church.
“John” acquiesces.
“Telma” was portrayed by
Cuffy-Murray; “John” by Owusu
Slater; “Florence” by Hamblin;
“Nancy” by LaFleur Cyrus; and
“Carol” by Gwen Holder.
UVCGB’s 15th Annual Cultural
Show also featured a poem,
“The Origin of the Steel Pan,”
written and renditioned by Liverpool,
accompanied by Trinidadian
born pannist, Jeffrey Pierre
and drummer, Slater.
The poem underscored the creation
of the steel pan in the 1940s
by the late Ellie Mannette and
Winston “Spree” Simon, and the
development and establishment
of steel bands worldwide, especially
in the Caribbean, Europe,
North America and Japan.
“Avant de Quitter;” Mendelssohn’s
“It is Enough;”
Moses Hogan’s “Deep River;”
Flaherty’s “Make Them Hear
You”; and Porgy and Bess’s “I
Got Plenty O’ Nuttin.”
McMillan sang Verdi’s “Pace,
Pace, Mio Dio;” Faure’s “Pie
Jesu;” Hall Johnson-arranged
“Fi-ya, Fi-Ya;”;Ricky Ian Gordon’s
“Joy;” and Porgy and
Bess’s “Summertime.”
The artists also collaborated
with trios in Gounod’s “From
the Finale;” Saint-Saens’s “My
Soul Doth Magnify;” and Porgy
and Bess’s “I’m on My Way.”
In addition, Grosvenor and
McMillan sang “Bess, You is My
Woman Now.”
“I was very pleased with the
attendance,” concert producer
Carlos Prescod, a Panamanian
native told Caribbean Life.
“It’s been very encouraging
to get a very good attendance
ever since we started (raising
funds for the church’s organ),”
added the organist and director
of music.
Prescod, who traces his roots
to Jamaica and Barbados, said
the event was the second in
a series of fundraising events.
The first was a Jazz and Fashion
Show earlier this month.
The next fundraiser takes
place on the first Sunday in
November, featuring “gospel
and spiritual music of the Black
Church experience,” Prescod
said.
About the artists, Grosvenor
made his operatic debut as Don
Alfonso in Cosi fan Tutte with
the Opera Theatre of the Rockies.
He then went on to perform
the role of Colline in La
Boheme with Tri-Cities Opera
and the role of the Commendatore
in Don Giovanni at the
Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.
Grosvenor was a resident
artist with the Toledo Opera for
its 2016-17 season.
He has performed the role of
Frank in Die Fledermaus and
Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di
Siviglia with Martina Arroyo’s
Prelude to Performance.
Grosvenor holds a master’s
degree in voice performance
from the University of Michigan.
McMillian received acclaim
for her highly-dramatic and
vocally-accomplished performances
in such operas as Aida,
Tosca, Don Giovanni (Donna
Anna and Donna Elvira), Madama
Butterfly, Don Carlos,
Suor Angelica, Dialogue of the
Carmelites (Madame Lidoine),
Porgy and Bess (Serena, Bess
and Clara) and Das Rheingold
(Fricka).
Her frequent orchestral performances
include: Chicago
Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra,
Detroit Symphony Orchestra,
Simon Bolivar Symphony
(Caracas), NDR Sinfonieorchester
(Hamburg), Orquesta del
Nuevo Mundo (Mexico City),
Eesti Riiklik Sumfonieorchester
(Hamburg) and Orquesta del
Nuevo Mundo (Mexico City).
McMillian was a featured
singer for the PBS Great Performances
production of Aida’s
Brothers and Sisters.
She studied at the Juilliard
School where she worked with
Eleanor Steber.
Norris is internationally
hailed for his rich-voiced, lyrical
tenor the world over.
He has graced such stages as
the Grand Theatre de Geneve,
Komische Oper Berlin, Hamburgische
Staatsoper, Dvorak
Hall in Prague and Teatro
Petruzelli in Bari, Italy.
He recently made his debut
at New York’s prestigious Carnegie
Hall.
Norris also performed the
lead role of Paul Laurence Dunbar
in the world premiere of A
Mask in the Mirror: The Marriage
of Paul Laurence Dunbar
and Alice Ruth Moore with Trilogy,
an Opera Company in NJ.
Other recent performances
include roles in Treemonisha,
The Three Mayors and Emmitt
Till.
His performances have taken
him to Quito, Montevideo, Santiago,
Buenos Aires and other
South American cities.
Norris has also appeared in
numerous productions with
Opera Philadelphia, New York
City Opera and San Francisco
Opera.
Norris travels internationally
as a soloist with the renowned
American Spiritual Ensemble.
In 2008, he was selected as
a finalist in the Harlem Opera
Theatre Vocal Competition at
the Apollo Theatre.
Norris has also appeared as
an actor in Dreamgirls at the
Prince Music Theatre.
Continued from Page 41
United Vincie Cultural Group of Brooklyn performs opening song, “Keep We Culture Alive.”
Photo by Nelson A. King
Continued from Page 41
From left, Taiwan Norris, Geraldine McMillan and Paul Grosvenor
perform Gounod’s “From the Finale.”
Photo by Nelson A. King
Vincentian folk group keeps Caribbean culture alive