In February 2012, Grand Cayman will once again come alive with the sound of music as performers from many different countries converge for the biannual Cayman Arts Festival.

Keeping the festival going for the past eight years hasn’t been easy, but significant changes made in the organising structure of the event have allowed the Cayman Arts Festival cofounders to concentrate on what they do best: arrange for top quality musical artists to perform right here in Cayman.

One of those cofounders, Glen Inanga, said a big improvement over previous years has been the addition of a board of directors and Festival Manager Simon Harvey, who have not only been able to offer valuable additional viewpoints to the planning and execution of events, but have also taken some of the workload off Inanga and the cofounder, Jennifer Micallef

“The festival shouldn’t depend just on us,” Inanga said in an interview in September. “I had to find a way of downloading some of what was in my head.”

Harvey came on board as volunteer just before the 2010 event took place and was willing to expand his role. Inanga said he’s a good fit for the festival.

“He loves classical music. He loves the arts. He loves singing. He’s even played the oboe. And having been a CEO of a company in New Zealand, he had all the right qualities for us,” Inanga said.

Challenges
The Cayman Arts Festival was first held in 2004 and then every two years since then. The goal for many years now has been to make the festival an annual event, but raising funding for the event to happen yearly has proven too difficult.

Momentum has been a problem in the past. By having the event only every two years, any momentum gained after an event was lost during the long hiatus afterward. To try and keep the momentum going, the mini-Festival was introduced this year, as well as periodic events called Music on the Menu – one-night musical performances combined with dinner at a restaurant.

Although the Music on the Menu events usually featured local artists, on 1 September Inanga – who lives in Cayman and teaches at the University College of the Cayman Islands – was joined by world-class violist Eliesha Nelson of the Cleveland Orchestra. The event was sold out.

But the Music on the Menu events don’t make much money, Inanga said. This latest one made about $1,700, and the money goes to the Cayman Youth Choir Fund, not to the Cayman Arts Festival.

“We do them really to keep the momentum going.”

However, the Cayman Arts Festival needs funding, too. The nonprofit festival runs on a very tight budget and this has created serious concern in the past because it’s been difficult to get top-quality performers without knowing how much funding the festival would be able to raise.

“It’s kind of like the chicken and the egg,” Inanga said. “We can’t necessarily know who can play here until we know the budget and we can’t get people to support the festival until we know who will perform. It’s kind of a tricky model to work with.”

Although there are general sponsors, the festival needs event sponsors to underwrite the appearance fees, airfares and hotel charges. These sponsorships run $10,000 – $20,000 each, Inanga said.

“These are the ones who make the events happen,” he said,

Once, in 2008, the Festival was unable to find a sponsor for one of the events. Instead of cancelling it, they let it run anyway.

However, there was a shortage from the general fund to cover costs and Inanga said he had to scramble to raise some more money to get the bills paid in the months after the event.

“It was a real eye-opener for me,” he said.

2008 was also the year that a garden opera – La bohème – was performed on the lawn at Pedro/St. James Castle. Although Inanga agrees that bringing an opera troupe to perform in Cayman was one of the high points of the festival to date, it was expensive. Since that time, the world economy has plummeted and sponsorship money for the arts is hard to come by. He pointed out that worldwide orchestras are struggling to keep afloat.

“The money is just not out there,” he said. “So it’s no surprise here in Cayman that it’s been a challenge.”

But the festival has still been able to find corporate sponsors for its events since 2008.

“We found people don’t have as much money to put on an opera, but still enough to put on something really respectable.”

Education
While Inanga takes care of the artistic direction here, his cofounder Micallef is busy finding talent abroad.

“She lives in Malta but she travels a lot,” Inanga said, adding that Micallef recently had a baby daughter and is also adjusting to the demands of motherhood.

Inanga says there’s no shortage of artists wanting to perform at the Cayman Arts Festival.

“We get so many people asking to perform here, or asking to come back,” he said. “It’s nice to know that people respect the festival, and the jurisdiction.”

Still, booking the artists can be difficult, especially when the festival is working with a unknown budget.

“Most artists need to be booked one to two years in advance,” he said.

In addition, Inanga said the Cayman Arts Festival is very specific on the kind of performer it wants and that it has to be the right fit.

“Our primary charter is education,” he said. “If education comes first, we have to make sure the people coming are not only comfortable with that, but are also willing and able to fulfil that mandate.”

Performers coming here will visit schools and interact with students in other ways, helping to instil in them an appreciation of the arts.

Inanga said the educational component to the festival is vital to sponsors, as well.

“Most won’t sponsor unless they can see that their funds are going into education,” he said.

Some of the festival events themselves are also designed to engage children, and youth choirs from abroad have performed in the past. 2012 will be no different, with a final ‘Youth Extravaganza’ choral event that will feature as many as 200 children signing. Another event – Blues in the Church – will feature a performance from students at New York’s Julliard School, as well as from the University College of the Cayman Islands Choir.

The future
The difference Harvey and the board have made has been evident already this year during the mini-Cayman Arts Festival called ‘Extra 2011’ in March and then during the one-night Music on the Menu event in September. More importantly, however, the planning for the 2012 Cayman Arts Festival is farther advanced at this stage of the year than it ever had been before. That improvement has a lot to do with funding.

As of mid-September, sponsors were already secured for four out of six events planned for the 2012 festival. Inanga said he was confident the additional two sponsors would be secured.

“This is the best we’ve been in terms of getting sponsors on board,” he said. “Now we’re at a stage where we’re a lot further ahead in raising funds. That’s directly related to the new structure we have for putting together the festival.”

Although there’s still some pressure to get sponsors on board before the printing deadline for the event programme, Inanga said he’s pleased to be in such good shape so soon.

“That panic isn’t there like it has been in the past,” he said.

Going forward, though, Inanga would like to see a new model, where sponsors commit to three-years sponsorships. This model he believes would not only be better for sponsors, but better for the Festival organisers, as they would have a better idea of how much money they could commit to performers.

The ultimate goal of Inanga and Micallef is to make the Cayman Arts Festival an annual event, no longer holding ‘mini-Festival’ in odd years as it did this year.

Inanga believes the Cayman Arts Festival will get there.

“We’re really proud that after all these years, despite the many challenges, we’ve gone from strength to strength and got support from both the business community and the local community,” he said.

Five tremendous brass musicians – each a virtuoso in his own right – have forged an international reputation as one of the most popular brass ensembles today. Chuck Daellenbach, tuba, Chris Coletti and Brandon Ridenour, trumpets, Archilles Liamakopoulos, trombone, and Eric Reed, horn, have truly earned Canadian Brass the distinction of “the world’s most famous brass group”. Their varied repertoire features brass standards, as well as the works of Renaissance and Baroque masters, classical works, marches, ragtime, Dixieland, Latin, jazz, big band, and Broadway.

With a discography of over 90 albums and an extensive worldwide touring schedule, Canadian Brass is an important pioneer in bringing brass music to mass audiences, and they have sold over 2 million albums worldwide. Their rousing recording of patriotic songs and marches, Stars and Stripes: Canadian Brass Salute America, spent 8 weeks in the Top 25 on the Billboard Classical Chart during the summer of 2010, peaking at #2. Touring legends with an enthusiastic fan base (including over 9,000 on Facebook), Canadian Brass play to packed houses throughout the USA, Canada, Japan and Europe. They were the first brass ensemble from the West to perform in the Peoples Republic of China, as well as the first brass group to take the stage at the venerable Carnegie Hall. They have also performed in Australia, the Middle East, the Soviet Union, and South America.

Millions of TV viewers have seen Canadian Brass on The Tonight Show, Today, and Entertainment Tonight, and they are frequent guests of many major symphony orchestras.

Masters of concert presentation with a uniquely engaging stage presence and rapport with audiences, the hallmark of any Canadian Brass performance is entertainment, spontaneity, virtuosity, and most of all, fun.

Videos of Canadian Brass performing

For more information about Canadian Brass visit:
canadianbrass.com

Charles Yang, violin, and Peter Dugan, piano, illustrate the organic connection between the classical, rock and pop worlds in this exciting program, featuring works by Ravel, Sarasate, Queen, Paganini, Rachmaninov, and Yang himself. These two classically trained musicians will embrace the diverse power of all music forms in an unforgettable music listening experience.

Described by the Boston Globe as “one who plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star’ Juilliard graduate Charles Yang has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals in the United States, Europe, Brazil, Russia, China, and Taiwan, and he is the recipient of numerous awards and honours. In addition to performing on both acoustic and electric violin, Mr. Yang’s improvisational crossover abilities as a violinist, vocalist, and guitarist have led him to performances in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Centre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Forbidden City in Beijing. Recent engagements include an appearance alongside ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro in Monterey, California, with Guitarhero and Rockband creator, Eran Egozy at The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and as soloist with the Orchestra of St. Lukes in New York City.

Video of Charles Yang performing

For more information on Charles Yang visit:
charlesyangmusic.com

Peter Dugan, pianist

Peter Dugan began studying piano at the age of five, and received his B.M. in 2011 from The Juilliard School, where he was awarded the John Erskine Prize for outstanding artistic and academic achievement. Mr.Dugan has performed in Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, Chicago’s Preston Bradley Hall, and New York’s Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall. In 2010 he performed Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet with violinist Itzhak Perlman and alumni of the Perlman Music Program to a sold-out audience at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In addition to solo classical appearances, he regularly performs chamber music, jazz, funk, and gospel.

The Juilliard Jazz Ensemble presents a programme of jazz arrangements inspired by hymns and well known gospel pieces definitive of the rich history of the US South, and specifically the Mississippi Delta.

From suffering and struggle to triumph and rejoicing, this music will take you on a journey that demonstrates the power of blues and its connection to religion. Special guests will be the University College of Cayman Islands Choir.

Rodney Jones leads the Ensemble for this performance. Jones has been hailed by guitar master George Benson as “a legend among musicians,” and has worked with many of the world’s Pop, R and B, Blues and Jazz legends, including Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Kahn, James Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, and The Manhattan Transfer. He is on faculty  at The Juilliard School teaching jazz guitar.

On saxophone, Jordan Pettay, has won five “Downbeat Student Music Awards” since 2007, has shared the stage with Terence Blanchard and Benny Golson and has performed at prestigious jazz venues, such as the Blue Note in New York.

The winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition in 2011, pianist Kris Bowers has performed for notables including Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and President Barack Obama, and has recorded and performed alongside an extensive list of pre-eminent artists.

Bassist David Baron has also performed or recorded with numerous jazz greats, was a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition, and has toured Russia with vocalist Carla Cook and saxophonist Bill Evans. He has studied with many great jazz artists, and with renowned classical bassist James VanDemark.

Currently a drum student of Carl Allen at the Juilliard School, James Macbride is the recipient of a long list of prestigious awards and scholarships, and has featured in a numerous jazz festivals across North America. He will shortly appear alongside Wynton Marsalis at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Bendel Hydes exhibition and cocktail function, hosted by the artist (in collaboration with the National Gallery).

Cayman-born painter Bendel Hydes is one of this country’s best known artists. Now based in New York City, he has exhibited widely in the US, Europe, and the Caribbean, and was awarded a Gold Medal for Creativity in 2009 by the Cayman National Cultural Foundation. His paintings are in the collections of Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, and many other private collectors.

This evening is an opportunity to view his works and to discuss them with the artist himself.

To celebrate Valentines Day, an outdoor screening of the ballet Romeo and Juliet.

Enjoy a romantic evening under the stars, watching one of the world’s most enduringly popular ballets as you sip a glass of champagne. Romeo and Juliet is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev, based in William Shakespeare’s play. Not to be missed.

One of the most glamorous sister-acts in classical music, the Ahn Trio perform new classics with extraordinary flair.

Korean born and Juilliard educated, the Ahn Trio – sisters Maria on cello, Lucia on piano, and Angella on violin – bring new energy and excitement to the chamber music world. They have recorded six albums, and their latest CD, ‘Lullaby for my Favourite Insomniac’ made No.8 on the Billboard Charts for 26 weeks in the Classical Album category. Their recording of Ravel and Villa-Lobos was praised by Audio Magazine as ‘one of Ravel’s best and never better played’, and their EMI recording of trios by Dvorak, Suk, and Shostakovich won Germany’s prestigious ECHO Award. The trio’s latest project was a joint album with Czech Grammy-winning Tata Bojs called “Smetana” (Warner)

Maria, Lucia and Angella thrive on dissolving the barriers between art forms. They have fused their work with that of dancers, pop singers, DJ’s, painters, installation artists, photographers, lighting designers, ecologists, and even kite makers.

Possessing an enviable combination of talent and style in addition to their brilliant musicianship, their combination of talent and style led to them featuring on the cover of Time magazine, frequenting the pages of Vogue and GQ, and being named three of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in 2003.

The Ahn Trio have been touring for over 10 years, and have shared their innovative spirit and ever-evolving vision of music in venues as diverse as the Lincoln Centre, Vienna’s Musikverein, Beijing’s Concert Hall, Istanbul’s Aya Irini in Topaki Palace, and in front of 10,000 screaming fans at the World Music Festival in the Czech Republic. In October 2011 they were honoured to perform at the White House at a reception for the President of South Korea hosted by Barack and Lady Obama.

Videos of Ahn Trio performing:

For more information on Ahn Trio visit:
ahntrio.com

Massed choirs from primary and high schools, local dance students, and Butterfield Young Musicians of the Year showcase the young talent of Cayman, with guest Musical Director Ronald Corp

Conductor, composer, writer and educator Ronald Corp leads this celebration of local excellence, featuring choirs from most of our primary and secondary schools, local dance talent, and Butterfield Young Musician of the Year winners. This is a special opportunity for youngsters to experience the thrill of performing en masse, and for the audience to share that joy in an outdoor picnic setting.

Ronald Corp is Founder and Artistic Director of the New London Children’s Choir, New London Orchestra and Musical Director of the London Chorus and Highgate Choral Society. The New London Children’s Choir is one of the busiest and most successful youth choirs in the UK, and they perform frequently abroad throughout Europe and in the USA.

Mr Corp has made it his mission to breathe new life into a wealth of little known music from the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as commissioning and composing many new works. Corp’s engagements have included concerts and recordings with the BBC Scottish Orchestra, the Leipzig Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels Radio and Television Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Bournemouth Sinfonietta.

He has appeared many times at the BBC Proms and also works regularly with the BBC Singers, for whom he has written a substantial choral work, Dover Beach. An expert in choral training and choral repertory, Ronald Corp’s comprehensive reference book entitled “The Choral Singer’s Companion’  has been recently republished in a third edition.

A new work, based on a selected poem from NCFA submissions, will be ‘world premiered’ at this event.