The Tribune

THE BAHAMAS National Youth Choir under the direction of Cleophas R E Adderley will present its Fifth Annual Christmas Concert on Tuesday, December 17 at Trinity Methodist Church, Fredrick Street at 7:30 p.m.

Outstanding Bahamian soprano, Joann Deveaux – Callender will be the guest artist along with a twelve member chamber orchestra from Nazareth College, Rochester, New York directed by Nancy Strelau. The orchestra will be supplemented with Bahamian musicians. There is no entrance fee for this performance, however a collection will be taken to help defray expenses.

Patrons of the Choir’s Fifth Annual Christmas Concert will hear a wide variety of Christmas and classical music including selections from Handel’s “ Messiah “, Christmas Concerto in G minor by Corelli, O Magnum Mysterium by Lauridsen, Silent Night by Franz Gruber, a 2013 arrangement of the spiritual “ Go Tell It on the Mountain “ by Stacey Gibbs and the choir’s perennial finale, the Nigerian carol Betelehemu (sung in Yoruba )

The choir was established under the direction of Mr Adderley in 1983 as a part of the tenth anniversary of independence celebrations. It is a non – profit national cultural entity subsidised by The Bahamas Government and the private sector.

Through the medium of the arts, the choir provides opportunities for self-growth, development and training, as it continues to create responsible and confident citizens while building an enduring national cultural institution.
Hundreds of young persons have passed through the choir’s programme since its inception. Today they continue to contribute to the stability and advancement of the Bahamas as lawyers, doctors, business experts, bankers, teachers, police and defense force personnel, engineers, pharmacists, journalists, hoteliers, accountants and civil servants. Two of our former members are senators in the upper chamber of Parliament.

The choir has sung in twenty-four foreign languages, produced nine commercial recordings, travelled to twenty-two countries on four continents, and has researched and documented much of the folk music of the Bahamas. It has appeared at the Concert Hall of the John F Kennedy Centre for The Performing Arts in Washington D C, The Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City, The Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in Russia, The Barbican and the Oxford University Playhouse in England, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, The Beijing Symphony Hall and The Poly Theatre in China, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and The Royal Swazi Theatre and Convention Centre in Swaziland, amongst other internationally acclaimed venues.

The choir regularly performs for many local, private, community, church and government functions, including a performance for some of the occupants of the Geriatric Hospital, performances for the A. I. D. S. camp, Rotary Club, Zonta Club, Miss Bahamas Beauty Pageant, Hatchet Bay Homecoming (Eleuthera), Genesis Foundation for Children, the
The choir is the recipient of many awards including two awards for outstanding work at the Seventh China International Chorus Festival in Wuxi, China; two silver medals at the 2008 World Choir Games in Gratz, Austria; two gold medals and one silver at the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, USA; the Bahamas Government Silver Jubilee Award; the Cacique Award (Performing Arts - Bahamas Ministry of Tourism ), Proclamations form the Mayors of Newark ( New Jersey ), New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Albany ( New York ) and Los Angles, and the Keys to the city of Miami.