National Chorale of Jamaica Opens 2026 Season with Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast
Published: Sunday | February 8, 2026 | 12:06 AM
National Chorale of Jamaica Opens 2026 Season with Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast
The 32-member National Chorale of Jamaica (NCOJ) launched its 2026 concert season with a pre-Valentine celebration of one of classical music’s most beloved works — Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast — performed at UWI Chapel, Mona Campus on 8 February.
The cantata, the first in Coleridge-Taylor’s celebrated trilogy Scenes from the Song of Hiawatha, was composed between 1898 and 1900 and earned the Black British composer widespread international acclaim. The evening was accompanied by pianist Stephen Shaw-Naar, senior lecturer at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, with the concert made possible through the support of the Jamaica National Group.
Two distinguished male soloists took centre stage. Lyric tenor Brenton McLean, an NCOJ member since 1991 and holder of an Associate Diploma in Voice from Trinity College London, portrayed Chibiabos in the work’s celebrated wedding scene. Baritone Edmund Carter, a founding member of the Chorale who trained under the late Geoffrey Fairweather and renowned soprano Pauline Watson, returned from overseas especially for the occasion, performing the Spanish classic Cuando, Cuando.
True to its educational mission, the Chorale invited corporate sponsors to fund the attendance of high school music students — part of a long-standing effort to connect young Jamaicans with the country’s classical heritage, which stretches back to the 18th century. The concert was held under the patronage of former Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall and Lady Rheima Hall, and was led by Music Director Winston Ewart, whose leadership continues to shape the Chorale’s artistic excellence.
SOURCE: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20260206/ncojs-male-soloists-feature-hiawathas-wedding-feast
