DCFA Music Ensembles
UWI Arts Chorale and UWI Arts Steel
About the ensembles
UWI Arts Chorale is the resident choral ensemble at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus which began work in 2000. It is directed by Jessel Murray and accompanied by Jerome Dinchong. UWI Arts Steel is the premier performing steel ensemble at the DCFA. Formed by undergraduate students in 2002 to compete in the “small ensemble” category of the World Steelband Festival held in Trinidad in November 2002 and then co-directed by Jessel Murray and Nervin Saunders, this Ensemble won first place in their inaugural effort and was subsequently adopted by the DCFA in 2003. The ensemble is currently co-directed by Mr. Khion De Las and Mr. Murray.
Membership
Chorale membership is open by placement audition. Ability to read is helpful but not mandatory. Steel membership is by audition. Music literacy is critical. Membership in both groups is open to current and past students of the University of the West Indies (credit and non-credit options) as well as members of the public.
Concert performances and Tours
UWI Arts Chorale and UWI Arts Steel present one major concert each semester as well as participation in Matriculation (Chorale) and Graduation Ceremonies (Steel) plus other campus and external activity. Repertoire consists of classical music, jazz, calypso/soca, folk and World musics. Recent Major works include Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” (2009; 2014; 2018); Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols” with harp accompaniment (2010); Orff “Carmina Burana” (2013; 2018); J.S. Bach “Magnificat” (2014); Handel “Messiah” – Part I (2015); Schubert “Mass in G” (2016); Mozart “Requiem” (2016) and the Rutter “Gloria” (2019).
The groups have separately or together to: Massachusetts and North Carolina (2004), Martinique (2005), Massachusetts (2008), New York (2010), Barbados (2012), and Belize and Mexico (2017).
UWI Arts Guitar Ensemble
About the ensemble
The UWI Arts Guitar Ensemble is one of a handful of groups in Trinidad and Tobago devoted to this type of performance. The group is led by Anthony Williams who is also the major composer and arranger. Student compositions and arrangements are also performed. Mr Williams has also championed the work of student conductors for the ensemble. The repertoire is quite eclectic consisting of Classical works, Contemporary, Folk, Calypso/Soca and Jazz and World Music.
Membership
Membership is open by placement audition and is open to current and past students of the University of the West Indies (credit and non-credit options) as well as members of the public. Music literacy is desirable.
Concert performances and Tours
UWI Arts Guitar Ensemble presents one major concert each semester.
UWI Arts Indian Classical Ensemble
ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE
The UWI Arts Indian Classical Ensemble is group devoted to the performance of the finest contemporary Indian Classical and Indian diasporic works. The group is led by Shivannand Maharaj who is also the major composer and arranger. The group is an eclectic mixture of vocal work as well as instrumentation drawn from Indian Classical tradition, traditional instruments and steelpan. The repertoire is a mixture of Indian Classical works as well as material drawn from Bollywood.
Membership
Membership is open to current and past students of the University of the West Indies (credit and non-credit options) as well as members of the public. Music literacy is not essential.
Concert performances and Tours
UWI Arts Indian Classical Ensemble presents one major concert each semester. Small groups perform regularly at select on- and off-campus events.
UWI Arts Intermediate Steel Ensemble
ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE
The UWI Arts Intermediate Steel Ensemble is group devoted to the performance of steel works. The steel ensemble is one of two available to students at the DCFA and is led by Alexica Adams who is the major arranger. Students are also encouraged to have their works performed. The ensemble serves as the training ground for participation in advanced ensembles at the Department.
Membership
Membership is open to current and past students of the University of the West Indies (credit and non-credit options) as well as members of the public. Music literacy is desirable but not essential
Concert performances and Tours
UWI Arts Intermediate Steel Ensemble participates in one major concert at the end of the academic year.
UWI Arts Jazz Ensemble
ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE
The UWI Arts Jazz Ensemble is group devoted to the performance of the finest contemporary jazz works. The group is led by Khion De Las who is also the major composer and arranger. Student compositions and arrangements are also performed. The instrumentation of the group is Caribbean eclectic consisting of steel, winds, brass and electronic instruments. The ensemble is a successor to the Caribbean Contemporary Music Workshop is an which was originated by the late DCFA musicologist Mervyn Williams.
Membership
Membership is open by placement audition and is open to current and past students of the University of the West Indies (credit and non-credit options) as well as members of the public. Music literacy, while desirable, is not essential.
Concert performances and Tours
UWI Arts Jazz Ensemble presents one major concert each semester. Small groups perform regularly at select on- and off-campus events.
UWI Arts Percussion Ensemble
ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE
UWI ArtsPercussion ensembleis the resident percussion ensemble of the DCFA andfirst ensemble of its type in this country to feature orchestral percussion. The UWI Percussion Ensemble was started at UWI in Semester I of 2003 when Dr. Jeannine Remy moved to Trinidad with all of her percussion instruments, a substantive collection that she has augmented over many years.This collection includes all types of pitched and battery percussion instruments.The musical pieces that are performed in the 'percussion ensemble' repertoire are all either arranged or composed by Dr. Remy. A piece of UWI's percussion repertoire was published in Gary Cook's 3rd edition ofTeaching Percussionand credits UWI for their vision in percussion education.
With the addition of 'percussion ensemble' to the UWI music program, students can now be professionally trained on both ethnic (non-traditional) and traditional (orchestral) percussion instruments, as part of their cultural learning experiences at the UWI Department of Creative and Festival Arts.
Membership
Membership is by audition. Music literacy is critical.Membership is open to current and past students of the University of the West Indies (credit and non-credit options) as well as members of the public.
Concert performances and Tours
UWI ArtsPercussion ensemble presents one major concert each semester plus external activity. In recent years its Percussion on the Greens concerts has attracted wide support at on the greens of the DCFA at Gordon Street. Over the last two years, the ensemble has partnered with the UWI Arts Chorale and Steel in presenting the Orff “Carmina Burana” and Bernstein ‘Chichester Psalms” (2018) and the Rutter “Gloria” (2019).The group has performed outreach concerts for both primary and secondary schools.In May 2015they were asked by the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism to perform on the “First Day of Percussion” as part of a Symposium for percussionists in the Caribbean hosted by Trinidad.
In November 2008, the Percussion Ensemble performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PAS) in Austin, Texas (USA). They were part of a larger group called the Rainmakers. Asaresult of this trip, Sabian Cymbals and Bergerault marimbas have made Dr. Remy an endorser of their instruments, as a jester of global outreach in spreading percussion education around the world. The group received an award from the President of PAS, Gary Cook, for "excellence in musical performance".
UWI Arts Wind Ensemble
ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE
The UWI Arts Wind Ensemble was created in 2015 to combine the efforts of the burgeoning programmes of wind instrument study at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts under the joint leadership of Leslie and Judith Clement —themselves graduates of the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA). Both Mr and Mrs Clements have enjoyed tremendous success in their own rights at their respective schools: Bon Air Secondary and Fiver Rivers Secondary. Students from these schools as well as community members have become members of the noted community ensemble – the Trinidad and Tobago Wind Steel and Brass Symphonic Orchestra.
Mr Clement served as the first principal conductor of the UWI Arts Wind ensemble. Senior Lecturer Jessel Murray has succeeded him as conductor in joint leadership of the group with Mrs Clement.
Membership
Membership is open by placement audition and is open to current and past students of the University of the West Indies (credit and non-credit options) as well as members of the public. Music literacy is essential for successful participation.
Concert performances and Tours
UWI Arts Wind Ensemble presents one major concert each semester at off-campus sites Works are drawn from the classical cano and include jazz, swing, show/movie tunes and arrangements of Trinidad and Tobago standards.
