English handbell choir heads to Jamaica... for 'Evening of Awesome Music'

An English handbell choir from the Bronx, New York City is heading to Westmoreland, Jamaica for a most unusual concert.

The 15-plus members of the ensemble are all English handbell ringers. They are, of course, non-political, and are presently in rigorous rehearsals for a musically mesmerising December evening of handbells, alongside organ and vocal performances. The event is billed an Evening of Awesome Music.

English handbell choirs are by no means limited to England, although the art form was first developed and perfected there in the late 1600s. The term English handbell is a reference to the type of bell used and the particular technique employed in the creation of the music. Each member of the handbell choir plays a single note on the chromatic scale and the bells are heard in tuned sets. The collective sound produced by English handbells expertly played, can only be described as sonic celestial magnificence.

The choir comes to Jamaica from the Church of the Good Shepherd in New York, a popular Anglican/ Episcopalian ministry that dutifully serves mostly the African-American and Caribbean-American communities in northern Bronx.

one-time-only performance

The one-time-only performance will take place at the historic and beautifully adorned St George's Parish Church in Savanna-la-Mar on Saturday, December 10 at 6:30 p.m. Although the performance in the holiday season, is not strictly a Christmas celebration but rather a praise-and-worship feast of music that will embrace several genres including American Negro spirituals, classical, patriotic, Jamaican folk and Christmas music.

Among the signature jaw-dropping treats for Savanna-la-Mar are Adagio in G minor, arranged by Albert Zabel for organ and handbells, Rondeau Fanfare by Mouret, Jamaican Folk Tune adapted by Doreen Potter and arranged for handbells by Michael Helman, and Handel's Hallelujah. Master of Ceremony for the evening extravaganza will be Jamaica's own radio personality Gerry McDaniel.

At the helm of the Church of the Good Shepherd Handbell Choir is eminently accomplished Jamaican-born organist and choir director, Grace Brown Barton, who studied at Juilliard School of Music and New York University. Burton says that while her mother (Lucille) was still pregnant with her, she would go to the Kingston Parish Church to hear the organ being played on Sunday evenings. It didn't come as much of a surprise that Brown Barton was able to hum tunes before she could speak.

before migration

She studied under various tutors in Jamaica including Barry Davies, and before migrating, played at St George's Anglican Church in Kingston under the late Rev. R.O.C. King, and as a substitute organist at St James Cathedral in Spanish Town.

Barton is now a member of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers. She will perform on the recently refurbished 1906 Walker & Sons pipe organ in Savanna-la-Mar for Adagio.

Another formidable attraction is the powerful African-American soloist Cecilia Tucker-Myers.

Tucker-Myers is an opera singer who has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe. She has made stops at the Winter Garden, performing for former United States president Bill Clinton and has riveted Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music and at the Apollo Theatre among other sought-after venues. Tucker-Myers can also be heard on the Revelations CD for Alvin Ailey's American Dance Theatre. A member of the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc., she plans to electrify the centuries-old walls of St George's as she unleashes her vocal endowments.

The English handbell choir's visit to Jamaica came through a long-standing partnership between St Peter's Anglican Church in Petersfield, Westmoreland and the Church of the Good Shepherd in New York.

Trip coordinator Donna Hylton, a member of the New York church, who also visits St Peter's periodically, saw a need to generate funds for St Peter's. She pitched the idea of a concert to Rev. Canon Hartley D. Perrin of Westmoreland and church members in New York, led by Rev. Canon Calvin C. McIntyre. "The response was immediate and enthusiastic", Hylton beamed. "We were all prepared to make the sacrifice, and we also believe in the power of our musical ministry to inspire lives, so it was an easy sell", she fondly recalled.

Rev. Perrin, who is also rural dean for the parish of Westmoreland, is elated that the premium concert is happening in his region. "It is a signal honour and pleasure to have this distinguished and talented group appear and perform in our parish", he told The Sunday Gleaner. "The custos of Westmoreland, Mr Owen Sinclair, under whose patronage the event is being hosted, joins with the mayor His Worship Bertel Moore, in embracing our visitors from New York", he added.

The choir will be in Jamaica for three days while here and will be hosted by families in Westmoreland during their hectic schedule. The group will also be hosted by Breezes Grand Lido Negril for a luncheon.

Part proceeds from the concert will go to St Peter's Anglican Church and the Clifton Boys' Home, a facility owned and operated by the Diocese of Jamaica. Tickets are available at Fontana and Royal pharmacies and Procession Book Store, all in Westmoreland.

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