Former dancehall
great drops ‘If I
Was Famous’
MasterVoices make ‘A Joyful Noise’
By Nelson A. King
The celebrated chorus MasterVoices celebrated
on Monday its return to performing
before an audience, after a two-year hiatus,
with a concert, titled “A Joyful Noise,” featuring
music to mark the holiday season, as well
as the perseverance of the human spirit.
Joining in this first concert of Master-
Voices’ 80th anniversary season, at Carnegie
Hall, Stern Auditorium, Perelman Stage,
were rising Canadian soprano Mikaela Bennett,
the Northwell Health Nurse Choir and
10-time GRAMMY Award-winning a capella
group, Take 6.
MasterVoices told Caribbean
Life that it provided free tickets
to a few hundred essential and
frontline workers to the concert,
thanking them for their personal
sacrifices during the COVID-
19 pandemic.
MasterVoices performed
virtually last season and sang
together in person for the first
time.
Take 6, heard last season with
MasterVoices in the online premiere
of Adam Guettel’s song
cycle, “Myths and Hymns”, performed
its unique arrangements
– both on its own and with MasterVoices
joining, including “If We Ever Needed the
Lord Before (We Sure Do Need Him Now)”
by Thomas A. Dorsey, “the father of gospel
music.”
MasterVoices said a pillar of the program
was Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, which
uses the text “A Joyful Noise,” from the
opening of Psalm 100.
It featured Mikaela Bennett, who sang
Caribbean Life, D 26 ecember 24-30, 2021
Minister Marion Hall. RichBossNYC
the role of Mary Wintergreen in Master-
Voices’ 2019 concert production of Gershwin’s
“Let ‘Em Eat Cake”, as well as joining
MasterVoices in a performance of Handel’s
“Israel in Egypt” in 2018.
“The evening ended on a majestic note,
with the traditional carol, ‘Hark, the Herald
Angels Sing’, with the soloists joining forces
with the full ensemble,” MasterVoices said.
It said the program also featured the
Northwell Health Nurse Choir, which began
its journey in 2020, when nurses from different
Northwell hospitals in New York gathered
virtually to support the Nurse Heroes
initiative.
In June 2021, the choir appeared on
“America’s Got Talent”.
MasterVoices said Northwell Health
Nurse Choir’s “captivating performance”
resulted in a Top 10 spot in the TV show’s
season finale.
MasterVoices, formerly The Collegiate
Chorale, was founded in 1941 by legendary
American choral conductor Robert Shaw.
Under the artistic direction of Tony
Award-winner Ted Sperling since 2013, the
group is known for its versatility and a
repertoire that ranges from choral masterpieces
and operas in concert to operettas
and musical theater.
Season concerts feature its volunteer
chorus of 100-plus members from all walks
of life, alongside an inclusive roster of worldclass
soloists from across the musical spectrum,
including Julia Bullock, Dove Cameron,
Anthony Roth Costanzo, Renée Fleming,
John Holiday, Jennifer Holliday, Norm
Lewis and Kelli O’Hara.
Under Sperling’s direction,
the group said it has created
cross–disciplinary collaborations
with such diverse creative
minds as Vogue Editor-at-Large
Hamish Bowles, fashion designer
Zac Posen, Silk Road visual
artist Kevork Mourad, illustrator
Manik Choksi, stage designer
Doug Fitch, and choreographers
Doug Varone and Andrew Palermo.
Roger Rees was the group’s
Artistic Associate from 2003–
2015, and, in 2021, the group
received a Drama League
Award nomination for its multi-genre
digital concert production, “Myths and
Hymns”.
As the country’s first interracial and
interfaith chorus, the group performed
at the opening of the United Nations, and
has sung and recorded under the batons
of esteemed conductors, including Serge
Koussevitzky, Arturo Toscanini and Leonard
Bernstein, among others.
By Nelson A. King
When it comes to reaching
people, Minister Marion Hall
has a way with words.
As a former Jamaican dancehall
great, formerly known as
Lady Saw, Hall has seen success
from many sides.
“Her passion and talent continue
to set her apart as one of
the most well-recognized artists
in the world,” Sarah A. Freiseis,
Special Projects Manager
with the Brooklyn-based entertainment
company, Playbookmg,
told Caribbean Life, stating
that Hall recently released
a new song, “If I Was Famous.”
After announcing her devotion
to Christianity, Freiseis
said Hall began making a
“broader spectrum of music.”
“Her sound is unique as
ever, and her voice shines in
all lights, from soul, R&B, and
gospel, to rock, rap, and dancehall,”
she said. “The track has
poignant lyrics and a great
beat.
“The vibe is both uplifting
and reflective,” Freiseis added.
“Behind the catchy spirit of ‘If
I Was Famous’ sends a deliberate,
if not a matter-of-fact,
message.”
Freiseis said Hall’s transformation
marks the start of her
next chapter, disclosing that
the minister is working on a
new album with “several powerful
tunes and is excited to
share her latest work with her
fans and first-time listeners.
“Marion stays busy working
as a professional in the music
industry and dedicating her life
to God,” said Freiseis of Hall.
“She hosts prayer and fasting
services in her spare time and
preaches to audiences via video
online.”
Listen to “If I Was Famous”
at https://zojak.lnk.to/IfIwas-
Famous.
MasterVoices preform “A JOYFUL NOISE”
RICHARD TERMINE/Carnegie Hall
Knight
Continued from Page 26
Born March 1, 1927, Harold
George “Harry” Bellanfanti Jr.,
to a Jamaican mother and a
father from Martinique, the
Harlem native scaled to stardom
soon after serving in the
US Navy.
Following his stint in the
military he enrolled in drama
school. He has often reflected
on times he spent there with
fellow student Marlon Brando,
jazz masters of the time and
now legendary individuals he
associated with while perfecting
his art.
In 1953 he debuted on
Broadway in the award-winning
musical “Almanac.”
Director Otto Preminger
steered his career to cinema
one year later casting him with
Dorothy Dandridge for the costarring
role in the film “Carmen
Jones.”
From there his career
exploded to include that of
his Caribbean accomplice Sidney
Poitier. In 1957, Belafonte
recorded a first for his race and
gender becoming the trailblazing
Black to portray a romantic
character with a white woman
in the film “Island In The
Sun.”
It was released 10 years
before Poitier received accolades
for repeating the thenforbidden
act.
Belafonte scored another
first when he snagged an
Emmy Award for his television
show “Tonight with Harry
Belafonte.”
Much acclaimed for his rendition
of the “Banana Boat”
song, Belafonte’s “Day-O”
emerged the unrivaled triumph
in 1956 when he released
a compilation album labelled
“Calypso.”
The release exceeded expectations,
making history as the
first recording to surpass sales
of one million copies.
Allegedly, the record-breaking
feat spawned the launch of
a Grammy Awards presentation
platform to music makers.
New Yorkers will also recall
the Yankee Stadium concert he
produced to welcome Nelson
Mandela to the city in 1990.
His distinctions include
three decades as goodwill
ambassador of United Nations
International Children Educational
Fund (UNICEF).
In 2015, the film academy
rewarded the son of the Caribbean
for his life-long achievements
in the genre by presenting
Belafonte with an honorary
Oscar for his activism for children,
human and civil rights.
/IfIwas-Famous
/IfIwas-Famous
/IfIwas-
