Las Voces Melodiosas for IOJ Virtual Lunch Hour Concert

Las Voces Melodiosas, the enchanting choir from The Mico University College in Kingston, will headline next Thursday’s staging of the Institute of Jamaica’s (IOJ) Virtual Lunch Hour Concert. The event, which will be streamed through Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, is set to begin at 1 p.m. This will be the third instalment of the Virtual Lunch Hour series since COVID-19 restrictions have forced the IOJ to adapt from a live concert hosted once per month.

The Lunch Hour Concert has been a staple of the IOJ since 1942. “It was created to showcase the appreciation of the arts and music, as well as to create a programme that’s accessible and free of cost to the youth. The IOJ is committed to fulfilling its mandate, ‘For the encouragement of literature, science and art in Jamaica’, amongst the youth and as such, tries its best to facilitate this programme and any other like it during these COVID-19 times,” a release stated.

The concert series, which has always been widely supported by the youth and the downtown business community, usually features more than one act; however, having to adapt to the restrictions of COVID-19, it will instead be held virtually with one headliner. Past performers featured at the event include No-Maddz, Ernie Smith, Bella Blair, Edna Manley Steel Band, A. J. Brown, C-Sharp Band, Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Ska Beat Band and classical compilations from students of the Royal Music Examinations, among others.

The Las Voces Melodiosas choir has been supporting the IOJ and its initiatives for the past three years and has become a staple as well as a crowd favourite. Other than their fabulous voices, they are known for the way they interact with their audiences, the folklore music that they focus on, and the colourfulness of their musical sets. This particular performance will be seen as a grand return to the IOJ’s stage, as the last time they appeared there was in February, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Institute of Jamaica, established in 1879, is charged by the Government of Jamaica to store and preserve some of the country’s most valuable treasures that date back to pre-colonisation, and also to educate Jamaicans and others about the country’s rich cultural heritage through the “encouragement of Literature, science and art”.

The IOJ is an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.