Paula Lindo – Our histories, stories, present, future.

Acclaimed designer Brian MacFarlane’s upcoming production ‘Christmas Joy’ is promising to be an amazing performance. The concert will feature a handpicked orchestra and chorale, performing Christmas classics in genres ranging from classical to jazz, gospel, R&B, pop and soul.

The audience will be treated to stunning performances by celebrated artistes including Marlon De Bique, Llettesha Sylvester, Raymond Edwards, Wendell Constantine, Wendy Sheppard, Rosezanna Winchester, John Thomas, Nigel Floyd, Edward Cumberbatch, Marvin Smith, Stephanie Nahous, Kevon Carter, Stefan Roach and Anne Fridal.

The team of professionals behind the production are working hard to produce an impressive event.
Hungarian born musical director Dr. Charles Brunner said it will be a fantastic concert. He said the orchestra is made up of individual talented musicians, pulled together to form a full orchestra. “We were trying to find the best musicians in Trinidad and I think we succeeded in that. It’s a little bit new for everyone, as they never had me as a conductor so my European style conducting is something new for them but I love them dearly. I get the attention and I feel like I get the respect too so I’m very happy to work with them and I think it’s going to be a really good performance.”
Dr. Brunner said the performance will be an hour and 45 minutes long, non-stop, and promised a lot of incredible effects. “Some of the songs are my own arrangements, some of them are copied down from recordings we liked, we took ideas from some of that, some of them are original, it’s a mixture of everything. The public can expect some really high standard performances, as musicians, as singers, and Mr. MacFarlane’s vision as producer probably will be unbelievable.
Choral director John Thomas said the choir is a mixture of the Eastern Youth Chorale, singers from Mahalia the Gospel Musical and his students at St. Joseph’s Convent. He said the arrangements of the songs were chosen in a collaborative effort and he knows the event will be extremely good.
Drama enhancement for the concert will be done by Polish-born Dr. Helmer Helwig, who said he didn’t want a straightforward conventional concert where people come out on stage and there’s the mike and they bow to the musical director, sing, applause, off and wait for the next one to come on. My biggest task is to make it one flowing, homogenous entity, even though we have all kinds of different singers, different songs and different moods.” Dr. Helwig said he has worked with MacFarlane in the past and they share similar ideas as to what evokes emotion in the public, so they won’t think it’s just another Christmas concert.
Macfarlane said “over the years I have built a reputation of staging productions and events of a very high caliber, so there was no doubt in my mind that I had to bring on board the very best talent and professionals in the various fields of the industry, that our country has to offer.”
The show begins with a gala on Thursday November 12, and continues until Sunday November 15.