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Portmore Chorale set to thrill this weekend

Published:Thursday | December 8, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Members of the Portmore Chorale began their 25th anniversary celebration in a more sombre mood, as represented by their dress in the first half of their presentation on Sunday night in Gregory Park. - File



Come this weekend, the Portmore Chorale will thrill audiences as they put on two shows, one on Saturday, December 10 at 6 p.m., at the Sts Peter and Paul Church, 120 Hope Road, and again on Sunday, December 11, at 5 p.m., at the Portmore Church of Christ, Independence City.

The shows promise to be thrilling, and the contribution is only $500.

Brief history

It was 26 years ago, after a choir festival in Portmore, that the Portmore Chorale was born. Auditions were held in the summer and by September 1985, under the baton of founding director, Delroy Williams, and accompanied on piano by Karen Henry, the first group of choristers came together and have been thrilling audiences ever since.

The Portmore Chorale is an interdenominational singing group based in Portmore, which has performed all over Jamaica and in the eastern Caribbean on several occasions.

The chorale gives exposure to young musicians and singers, and many have gone on to lead their own church choirs and participate in major dramatic/musical productions, such as Father Holung and Friends.

Their Christmas programme, in particular, often features children's groups: singers, dancers and musicians. The chorale has a vast repertoire, spanning the classics, contemporary gospel, spirituals and West Indian folk, as it seeks to offer something for everyone and is currently accompanied on bass guitar by Lewis Campbell, of the Boulevard Baptist Church, and on drums by Odean Taylor, of the Portmore United Church.

The chorale has two concert seasons each year, in July and December. They also released their first album in July 2010, which was recorded at Stage Productions and edited by Jon Williams. The CD consists of 18 tracks covering all the genres done by the chorale: classical, contemporary gospel, spiritual, folk and revival, and are some of the group's most beloved and inspiring selections which have blessed audiences over the years. This dedicated group of volunteers look forward to many more years of music ministry in Jamaica and overseas.