Many students from around Trinidad and Tobago made magic at the junior part of the recent 2024 TT Music Festival, setting the stage for the country to be blessed by their light for years to come.
In solos, Gianna Griffith of St Joseph's Convent, San Fernando, and Klavier Simpson of Bishop's High School, Tobago, emerged as shining stars, each sparkling in a wide array of vocal genres.
[caption id="attachment_1076575" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Naparima Girls' High School folk choir performs Siyahmba in the Junior Folk Song choirs category during the TT Music Festival at Queen's Hall, Port of Spain. - AYANNA KINSALE[/caption]
Griffith knocked the ball out of the park, singing the very touching If There Were Dreams To Sell (by Thomas Beddoes) – sometimes soft, sometimes forceful – ahead of Simpson as best 16-19 girl solo vocalist. However Simpson with Nadira Shanghie, previously edged Griffith and Za'ariah Balkissoon, as best girls vocal duet, with Pie Jesu (by Andrew Lloyd Webber), even as the self-control in Griffith's voice seemed to still and stay time and space.
Griffith looked like a future "big stage" contender as she won best calypso solo with Garfield "Ras Shorty I" Blackman's Watch Out My Children.
[caption id="attachment_1076574" align="alignnone" width="1024"] TOBAGO'S Y'Aim African Drumming Ensemble perform in the Junior Drumming Ensemble category at the recent TT Music Festival at Queen's Hall, Port of Spain. - AYANNA KINSALE[/caption]
Simpson was best folk soloist with her zany interpretation of Jamaican favourite, Linstead Market.
Griffith won best religious solo singing a very worshipful For Your Glory, ahead of moving performances by Anya-Lee Bidaisee and Emiel Joseph, whose renditions she lauded to Newsday.
Simpson "accidentally" stumbled on-stage and burst into song – I Feel Pretty – to be the best 16-19 musical theatre solo vocalist.
[caption id="attachment_1076573" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Gianna Griffith performs If There Were Dreams to Sell to win the Junior girls' vocal solo category at the recentTT Music Festival at Queen's Hall, Port of Spain. - AYANNA KINSALE[/caption]
Griffith sang in her school choir, while Simpson conducted the Bishops Tobago folk choir.
The rich voice of Tobago's Jayda George deservedly won her best under-15 religious solo for Oceans, Where Feet May Fail (by Crocker, Houson and Ligthelm.)
Kiyoshi Lawrence-Marshall's dramatics and fisherman's attire won the seven-ten boy vocalist class with the nonsense song, Fishing by Shena Fraser.
[caption id="attachment_1076572" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Bishop Anstey High School performs Ella Andall's Black Woman in the Calypso Chorale class at the TT Music Festival at Naparima Bowl, San Fernando. - Lincoln Holder[/caption]
Melody Nicholas was best seven-ten girls solo singing The Cupboard by Walter de la Mare. Josiah Ferrier the best 16-19 boys solo singing Gifts by James Thompson.
The 11-12 girls vocal solos saw very keen competition among north Trinidad's Sienna Tang, south-centra
