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| A local group of musicians is making another effort to revive the Guyana Music Festival, which in its heyday was hailed as an important avenue for the development of local musical talent.The Guyana Music Festival Association, along with the Guyana Music Teachers Association, the Woodside Choir and the Evangelical Lutheran Church, plans to put on the festival from April 14-18 this year.Persons who can sing or play an instrument are being invited to pick up an application form at the Festival’s office at 221 Charlotte Street, Bourda, next to the Bahai Centre. The Festival’s office is the residence of David and Marilyn Dewar, both members of the Woodside Choir, which had its humble beginnings at the Guyana Music Festival decades ago.An invitation is extended for vocal solos and duets; verse speaking; choral speaking; primary/secondary school choirs; church choirs; action and folk song groups; piano, recorder and steel pan players; ladies, men and mixed voice choirs; gospel groups; violin, guitar and brass players.The festival is being held under the patronage of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony and has the support of the Ministry of Education.Professor Vibert Cambridge is sponsoring a US$500 prize for a special category featuring “Bird Songs of Guyana.”The Guyana Music Festival was held regularly from 1952-1973, and the competition was later moved on to be part of Guyfesta.Efforts to revive the Festival came in 1994 and 1997, but were never followed through with.However, when Dr Erv Janseen, the Coordinator of the Music Education Programme of Partners in Mission with the Evangelical Lutheran Church learnt of the Guyana Music Teachers Association, the idea of a revival of the music festival was born.The Lutheran Church will be sponsoring the visit of Americans Donald Ryan and Marilynda Lynch, who will be the main adjudicators. Some of the local judges will be Cecil Bovell, David Dewar and Joyce Jonas.Among those whose talent the Guyana Music Festival discovered was that of famed pianist Ray Luck.David Dewar posits that if the Festival had continued, Guyana would have had much better musicians to be proud of. “And we would have had better calypsos,” he quipped.In fact, Dewar noted that many of Guyana’s national songs were written for the Guyana Music Festival,Cheap NFL Jerseys, and so he sees good reason in the revival of the event at this time.The opening of the Festival is slated for the National Cultural Centre, while the competition proper will be held at the Bishop’s High School in Georgetown. |
