MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, has said that the National Choral Festival aims to address the decline of capable singers in Guyana.

He noted that the primary aim of this festival is to promote more choral singing in Guyana, so that it can progress from national to international, which will ideally enhance the tourism sector.

Moreover, throughout his declaration at the launch of the National Choral Festival last Wednesday, he highlighted the development of choral singing in Guyana as the Ministry sees itself as the ‘facilitator’ of this process.
More importantly, Minister Anthony noted that 2016 would be Guyana’s 50th anniversary as an independent nation, and he said the Ministry will be formulating a cultural programme to add glamour to the event.

Since there is a dwindling of folk songs in Guyana, the minister proposed a solution by which there should be a distribution of folk songs in schools, so that children can become familiar with them as they mature.

Additionally, the Ministry would be working on special projects this year to support local talents nationwide.

The first is to look into the different genres of music, including gospel, with the aim to cater for recruitment of 50 groups for the upcoming festivals.
There has also been a proposal to launch an Indigenous Song Competition since, as Guyanese, “we find it challenging to differentiate between the nine indigenous languages.” This initiative would hopefully commence this coming September, given that it is “Amerindian Heritage Month”.

Another project the Ministry has earmarked for this year is the establishment of at least ten bands throughout the country, so as to make music a legacy in Guyana.

The National Choral Festival, having been launched on Wednesday, will be hosting workshops and training sessions until its finals on October 15th this year.

According to the Music Development Officer, the festival seeks to form new groups which would participate in all the festivals, and build capacity for existing groups and their technical competences.

There were excellent performances by the reigning choral groups: “Messengers” and the “Woodside Choir.” The National Choral Festival is one of the avenues to reach new talents in Guyana.

(By Shivanie Sugrim)