National Chorale of Jamaica to Stage Romantic Valentine’s Concert
Published: Sunday | February 8, 2026 | 12:06 AM
The National Chorale of Jamaica (NCOJ) presented a special pre-Valentine recital at UWI Chapel, Mona Campus on 8 February 2026, centred around one of classical music’s most beloved celebrations of love.
The 32-member ensemble performed Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s celebrated cantata Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, a work renowned for its rich exploration of love, longing, and human emotion through expressive melody and lyric poetry. The evening was accompanied by acclaimed pianist Stephen Shaw-Naar, senior lecturer at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.
Among the featured soloists, lyric tenor Brenton McLean took on the role of Chibiabos, serenading the newlyweds Hiawatha and Minnehaha in a performance at the heart of the cantata’s wedding celebration. Baritone Edmund Carter also performed, delivering a romantic Spanish classic perfectly suited to the evening’s Valentine’s theme.
The concert took place under the artistic leadership of Maestro Winston Ewart, whose long-standing direction has been central to the Chorale’s artistic excellence and growth.
SOURCE: https://our.today/male-soloists-to-feature-in-national-chorales-hiawathas-wedding-feast-february-8-2026/
