WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bel Canto Singers Bahamas will be featured in concert on Sunday, June 3, 2018, at historic Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, 1518 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
The group was invited to perform in the nation’s capital by Metropolitan’s Music Ministry and Circle of 12 in commemoration of the church’s 180thanniversary.
Members of the group will be officially welcomed to D.C. on Friday, June 1, by His Excellency Sidney Collie, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American State (OAS), and His Excellency Theo Neilly, Bahamas Consul General to Washington, D.C., during a reception at the St. Regis Hotel in downtown Washington.
The group recently commence its 13th season in Nassau with a weekend of celebrations that included a Champagne Dinner and Dance at the Balmoral Club on Thursday, May 17, followed by a grand concert on Saturday, May 19, at Christ Church Cathedral.
Eldridge McPhee, the Bel Canto Singers’ Founder and Director, said in a press release that the spring concerts “are dedicated to the memories of Fr. Michael Gittens, Mr. Henry Moss, Mrs. Almartha Murphy, Timothy Kelly and the Hon. Theresa Moxey-Ingraham,” all of whom are now deceased and had “very strong ties to members of the choir.”
During their D.C. concert at Metropolitan A.M.E., McPhee said the singers “will be accompanied by seven string players from the Washington DC area, with notable brass and percussion players from Nassau.”
“From cherished classical sacred music selections to modern classics, the eclectic programme will include spirituals and contemporary Christian compositions by Craig Courtney, Hal Johnson, Roland Carter and Moses Hogan,” McPhee said. “The Singers are delighted to present two of Evelyn Simpson-Curenton’s pieces composed and or arranged by her for Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle. Mrs. Simpson-Curenton is well known to music circles in the Washington DC area. The Singers will present three Latin pieces: Edward Elgar’s Lux Aeterna, Stanton’s Beati Qurum Via and Ola Gjeiloeces; Edward Elgar’s Lux Aeterna, Stanton’s Beati Qurum Via and Ola Gjeilo.”
McPhee said that the mission of the Bel Canto Singers Bahamas “is to create a safe space and atmosphere that encourages and nurtures its members to live consciously, with a deep sense of civic responsibility.”
“Members are passionate about personal and musical growth and excellence, and these attributes are demonstrated though the production of both local and international world-class concerts,” McPhee said. “ Through the medium of the arts, the choir provides opportunities for self-growth, development, and training, as it continues to create responsible and confident citizens while building an enduring national cultural institution.”
