A special feature on the life and legacy of musician and educator Desmond Waithe will premiere on local television and livestreamed online.
Waithe, who passed away in April 2022, was a widely-respected composer and arranger who tutored and mentored many during his remarkable lifetime.
Titled We Music: Celebrating the Legacy of Desmond Waithe, the feature was executive produced by the Marionettes Chorale. Waithe shared a more than 40-year relationship as arranger, chorister and cuatro-player with the chorale.
The feature will air on TTT on August 27 and 30, at 1.05 pm and 8 pm; on the Marionettes' YouTube channel on August 31 at 6 pm; and on Trinity TV on September 9 at 8.30 pm, a media release said.
Waithe’s pioneering work in calypso and folk with ensembles such as La Petite Musicale and Stentor Chorale, among others, led to the emergence of the “calypso chorale,” much like a genre in itself. He also made an indelible mark on the pan fraternity, having served as musical director and/or conductor of several steelbands like Exodus, BP Renegades and Starlift. He enjoyed international success with some of the steel orchestras at music festivals locally, as well as in France, Austria and Germany.
It was Waithe’s celebrated steelband arrangement of the Mighty Sparrow’s Slave that led to his long-standing relationship with the Marionettes, when in 1980 the choir commissioned him to adapt his masterpiece for voice. It was an association that would continue until the time of his passing – one filled with memorable local and international tours and performances of Waithe’s masterful choral arrangements of Caribbean music, the release said.
In light of his tremendous work, the Marionettes nominated Waithe who was subsequently awarded the Humming Bird Medal (silver) in 1993 for his outstanding contribution to music in TT. Similarly, his 2022 posthumous award of an honorary degree of letters from the University of Trinidad and Tobago was championed by the chorale, through Dr Roger Henry, Marionettes’ assistant musical director, the release said,
Marionettes’ assistant artistic director Caroline Taylor co-ordinated, researched and produced the television feature. She was assisted by Maria Nunes (videographer), Tracy Farrag (co-producer) and Daniel Bishop and his team at Heaven Sent Productions who edited and mastered the production.
Taylor had to condense more than 15 hours of interviews and music into two hours.
[caption id="attachment_1032137" align="alignnone" width="960"] Desmond Waithe: A special feature on the late musician titled We Music: Celebrating the Legacy of Desmond Waithe. will air on TTT and online. -[/caption]
“We aimed to chart Desmond’s musical journey, showcase his range of choral arrangements and performances over some 40-odd years, and speak to his legacy – particularly his calypso chorale legacy. It could easily have been a mini-series given how much material there was just on the choral part alone,” Taylor said in the release..
“It was probably the most complex and challenging vid
