Following last year’s successful Choir Workshop in which more than 100 choristers from churches in the Corporate Area and St. Catherine, as well as members of the Diocesan Festival Choir participated, noted Jamaican Choir Director and musician, Mr. Donald Morris, will be returning to the island in July to lead a second round of training.
This year, Workshops will be conducted both in Kingston and Montego Bay. Sessions in Kingston will be held at St. Luke’s Church, Cross Roads over five days, starting on Saturday, July 16 from 11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. They will resume on Monday, July 18 from 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. and will continue daily to Thursday, July 21.
Organists in the Kingston Metropolitan area and St. Catherine will also have an opportunity to sharpen their skills at two specially targeted afternoon sessions on Monday, July 18 and Wednesday, July 20. The Workshop will conclude with a special Service on Sunday, July 24 at 4.00 p.m. at a venue to be announced.
Details regarding arrangements for Montego Bay will be released shortly.
A former Director of the Kingston College Chapel Choir and member/accompanist of the National Chorale of Jamaica, Mr. Morris is Organist and Choirmaster of the Church of the Epiphany in Orange, New Jersey. He is also Director of the acclaimed Newark Boys’ Chorus with which he has been associated since 1986. He holds the Master of Arts Degree in Music Education from Hunter College, USA and the LRSM in piano performance from the Royal School of Music in London, England.
Mr. Morris will be joined by Dr. Richard Beckford, another Jamaican, who is Associate Professor of Music at South Carolina State University. Dr. Beckford was a guest performer at the 90th Anniversary Concert of the Diocesan Festival Choir in late 2015.
In expressing support for the Choir Workshop, The Lord Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Howard Gregory, notes the importance of music in the worship of the church. “It is clear that we have a responsibility for ensuring that this aspect of the church’s life, especially choirs, be given the necessary training and resources to perform at the highest possible level,” he says.
Registration for the Workshop closes on June 27. A contribution of $1,000 per person is requested to help cover expenses.
