Orrett Rhoden concert series starts well

The First International Orrett Rhoden Music Festival of Jamaica 2012, under the distinguished patronage of His Excellency Marc-Olivier Gendry, the French ambassador, got off to a smashing start at the first event in the series recently.

Held in the sumptuous drawing room of the Royal Plantation Hotel last Sunday, the Royal Plantation Hotel's management team, headed by Peter Fraser, as well as the audience, which hailed from varying backgrounds, was enchanted by the high quality of the musical programme as well as by the exquisite interpretations of the two renowned artistes, Orrett Rhoden, concert-pianist, and Illo Humphrey, concert-baritone.

"Rhoden gets better and better each time I hear him perform, comparable to a good vintage wine," said Fraser.

A member of the audience, hailing from Toronto, also had high praises for Humphrey, saying "The magnificently rich and beautiful baritone voice of Illo Humphrey, accompanied by Rhoden, not only enchanted our ears, but both soothed our hearts and nourished our souls."

Rhoden's fundamental passion is "to keep classical music alive in Jamaica". This, indeed, is the main driving force which inspired him to create the International Orrett Rhoden Music Festival of Jamaica, now in full swing as of the 22nd of January through to the 5th of February.

The invited guest artistes are Duo Vox Nova Illo Humphrey, PhD, distinguished mediaevalist, musicologist, concert-baritone, and trilingual simultaneous interpreter; and the remarkable French virtuoso concert-organist Claudine Pascal-Grisi.

Duo Vox Nova, based in France, specialises in the Pre-Gregorian, Gregorian, Mediaeval, Renaissance, Pre-Baroque, Baroque, and 19th through 21st-century repertoires of sacred liturgical music, and has to its credit respectively 1,024 concerts, 10 master classes, 10 seminars, and numerous benefit guest appearances.

Duo Vox Nova has toured extensively in Europe (France [Thionville], Germany [Darmstadt], Switzerland [Luzern], Spain [Taragona], etc.), as well as on the concert circuit in the United States.

Humphrey and Pascal-Grisi perform here in Jamaica for the very first time, and may still be heard, tomorrow at 6:45 p.m., at the University Chapel, Mona.

Rhoden and Humphrey met for the first time in Sterling, Massachusetts, in 1980, thanks to Rhoden's mentor, the late Dr Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse.

Having heard Humphrey sing a cappella, interpreting various works, including the fascinating repertoire of Gregorian Chant, Rhoden was impressed. So impressed was the pianist with Humphrey's baritone voice, vocal technique and mastery, as well as with his expertise in mediaeval music, that he declared without reserve the following: "Illo is indeed the male baritone equivalent to great soprano Leontyne Price."

Humphrey, one of the principal partners in the organisation of the festival, had already organised, in August 1982, a concert tour for Rhoden in south-western France in the region of Bergerac and in the Bordeaux Region.

Tickets for tomorrow's concert are available at Music Mart and at the door of the UWI Chapel.

On Sunday, February 5 at 2 p.m., the final event in the series takes place at the Mountambrin Theatre and Art Gallery, Whithorn, Westmoreland (Contact: Professor Russell Gruhlke, rusgruhlke@yahoo.com. Tel 876-357-6363.

Rhoden will also be making a special appearance on TVJ's Profile, with host Ian Boyne, tonight.