Jamaica’s Alpha School of Music presents the Inaugural Sister Ignatius Lecture and Jam Session featuring local and international band leaders from across the Caribbean.
On Wednesday, May 24, critically acclaimed Trinidadian jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles, and bassist Nicholas Brancker, from Barbados, will join local band leaders Peter Ashbourne and Omar Francis for a comprehensive discussion about the state of band performance and education in Jamaica, across the region and around the world.
The event is open to the public and is a unique platform to learn about the future of band music in the Caribbean and its implications for business, education, and entertainment.
Following the panel discussion, on Thursday, May 25, Mr. Charles and Mr. Brancker will link up again with their local counterparts at The Jam Is Back, Kingston’s signature live music event, held at 22 Jerk on Barbican Road.
There is no charge to enter the panel discussion or the jam session.
As the manager of the Alpha Boys Band from the 1940s into the 21st century, Sister Mary Ignatius Davies (1921-2003), is a symbol of Jamaica’s music culture, a culture defined by band performance.
Many of Sister Ignatius’ students changed the direction of jazz and Jamaican popular music as members of bands like the Skatalites, Zap Pow, the Wailers, and Black Disciples.
Today, the Alpha School of Music is Jamaica’s only tertiary institution focused on ensemble, or band, performance.
For decades, band performance has been the way that music was taught, performed, and experienced in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean. However, access to band music and band education is increasingly hard to find for many people.
The panelists featured in the inaugural Sister Ignatius lecture can speak personally and passionately about the impact of the band in their Caribbean communities as well as in front of thousands of people on stages around the world.
