Jamaica's 'first couple' performs for the Ward
Published:Saturday | April 16, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Jamaica's first couple of classical music, internationally acclaimed Curtis and Pauline Watson, will sing for the Ward in one of their rare duo performances in May Memories on Sunday, May 1, at the Institute of Jamaica's Lecture Hall, starting at 11 a.m.
Accompanist Mr Archie Dunkley and the Brandenburg Singers will add to the treat.
May Memories, the third in the Sunday morning concert series, will be staged under the distinguished patronage of Her Excellency Celsa Nuño, ambassador of Spain to Jamaica, and Mr Alex Crowther.
The Sunday morning concert series is a collaborative effort of The Institute of Jamaica and the Ward Theatre Foundation in aid of the Ward Theatre restoration project.
acclaim
Dr Curtis Watson is a bass baritone, whose career as an opera and concert singer has been very varied. He has won acclaim on the opera and concert platforms across a number of cities in Europe, the former Soviet Union, the United States, the Caribbean and Japan. He is also involved in an extraordinary range of activities apart from singing, including acting (named Best Supporting Actor of the Year 1978 - Jamaica National Awards), musical directing, choral conducting, teaching, writing for various publications, as well as his hobby - restoring and reproducing antiques, in his spare time.
Pauline Forrest Watson is no less accomplished. A Jamaican-Russian-trained soprano opera and concert singer, she is a master of fine arts, and professor of solo singing, who began her formal musical training in 1971 with Dr Curtis Watson. She has received many scholarships, including one from Mico Teachers' College to the Jamaica School of Music, and a joint Soviet-Jamaican scholarship to the Moscow State Conservatoire. She has performed in Jamaica, Cuba, Russia, Austria, the United Kingdom and the US.
The concert promises to put a song in every heart, and leave lasting memories. Sponsors to date include The Gleaner Company, the Jamaica Observer, and Lithographic Printers. Tickets are available at the Ward Theatre and The Institute of Jamaica.