‘Sounds of the Season’ to deliver potpourri of musical delights

‘Sounds of the Season’ brings nostalgia, talent and innovation together for a Christmas experience to lift the spirit and uncover the hope of the holidays.

The award winning Young Jamaica Ensemble of Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, in association with Sweetwater Blossom Foundation, returns for an annual potpourri of seasonal delights in vocal and instrumental music for all ages on December 26, starting 6:00 pm with a rebroadcast on January 2, 2022.

The event will stream live on the following social media platforms:

• @youngjamaicaensemble (YouTube and FB)
• @samsharpeteacherscollege (YouTube and FB)
• @SWblossom (FB)
• @sweetwaterblossom (IG)

The ensemble will present a virtual production highlighting its repertoire, ranging from classical jazz, to popular and modern Jamaican music.

This year’s show will feature an iconic tribute to legendary reggae crooner Beres Hammond.

In tribute to the frontline workers of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ensemble dedicates an arrangement of Gramps Morgan “People Like You” to these amazing heroes who “walk around with their hearts on their sleeves because there’s a place for people like these”.

This year’s show will also feature collaborative performances from instrumentalists in the United States.

Director of Band’s Vinton Haughton posits that “this will be a one-of-a-kind remarkable production showcasing the best talents of the young people in Montego Bay, Jamaica”.

Again in 2021, pandemic challenges persist for live performances with audiences and Haughton said the  with pandemic’s continuing impact, “the Young Jamaica Ensemble has been gratified to slowly return step by step to rehearsals and performances all with strict health protocols – but still without audiences in attendance”.

Young Jamaica Ensemble of Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College is a not-for–profit arts project of Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College that focuses on building and developing music capacities of children and adolescents in Montego Bay St. James. The primary aim of this music education and performance project for these students is to build capacities that closely link to development in other areas (Language Arts, Mathematics and Social Skills).

The ensemble is located on the campus of the Sam Sharpe Teachers' College and is part of the college's continued outreach in the communities that encompass it. It provides a rich and diverse
music education and performance programme and opportunities for "at-risk" and “at-promise” young people to enhance their lives.

Since 2000, the ensemble has been catering to over eighty (80) instrumentalists of all ages.

Traditionally, Young Jamaica Ensemble presents a major instrumental work each December and is a featured performance ensemble in many hotels on Jamaica’s North Coast. The ensemble is funded in part by grants from local and international partners like the Sweetwater Blossom Foundation.