Cayman Youth Choir’s spring concert

Cayman Youth Choir held its springtime concert, entitled “La Primavera”, at John Gray High School on Wednesday, 11 March, to a packed audience. 

The Cayman Youth Choir is part of CayMusicA’s educational programme and is open to any young person in Cayman with a passion for singing. It is led by Naomi Allnutt, John Gray High School Music Teacher. 

With nearly 120 members from more than 30 local schools, including home-schooled students, the choir represents nearly all island districts and schools. The Youth Choir comprises three smaller choirs: the “Winks” Choir, which is made up of students aged three to six years old; the “Pops” Choir, which is made up of seven to 10-year-olds; and the “Senior Choir”, which is made up of singers aged 11 to 20 years old.

This concert was shaped around springtime and conveyed a sense of optimism and joy. The programme included a blend of beloved classics, contemporary favourites, and international selections.

The Winks Choir started the show by singing several pieces, including ‘If I were a butterfly’, ‘A bicycle made for two,’ ‘You are my sunshine’, and surprised the audience by singing a song in Korean, the piece ‘Jamjari Kkongkkong’, which is about a dragonfly and its journey.  It was hard to believe that the children were as young as three years of age as their singing was clear, precise, and delightful. 

The Pops Choir followed and offered more advanced and lively pieces that stayed with the theme of springtime, including George Harrison’s ‘Here Comes the Sun’, ‘Flowers’ by Mylie Cyrus, ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Buttercup’. 

The Seniors rounded off the evening with an incredible performance. One piece in particular wowed the audience: ‘April in Paris’, which was sung without accompaniment.  It was not only impressive but mesmerizing as the choir members performed complex harmonies with a short solo voice throughout.  Allnutt shared that at first the choir found this piece challenging, but now it was their favourite one to perform – and it showed.  The seniors also sang a number of complex songs, including gospel pieces.

All three choirs joined together to finish off the evening with Louie Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’. Carla McGarvey-Blair, a volunteer from Cayman Inclusive and John Gray High School teacher, was also on stage, signing the words throughout the piece, adding a powerful message of inclusivity. 

The final performance for the evening was “All My Love” and drew the entire audience together as the choir, which now completely filled the stage, serenaded them, and they in turn joined in.

Throughout the entire evening, Allnutt not only kept her singers on cue but also kept the audience attentive, sharing details about the music along with charming anecdotes about the children. She also shared that the three choirs enable young singers to develop over time and ‘graduate’ to the next choir when they are ready and of age. Some singers had been with the choir for some six years already. 

The final message of the evening was about the next steps. The Cayman Youth Choir is in the process of planning a trip to Italy and has undertaken a fundraising campaign called ‘Island Voices: Italian Stage’ to enable 25 of their young singers to go to Italy for one week to perform in five cities.

Allnutt said, “The trip promises to be a life-changing one for all of the children involved,” and that important goals include sharing Caymanian culture and heritage. 

To learn more about the choir or to donate, contact 922-2079 or email caymanyouthchoir@gmail.com