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The National Chorale of Jamaica, in association with the Jamaica National Group, will open its 2026 concert season with a pre-Valentine recital spotlighting the pioneering work of black British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
The concert, featuring the chorale’s acclaimed 30-member choir, will be staged at the historic UWI Chapel, Mona Campus, on Sunday, February 8, , under the patronage of Sir Kenneth Hall and Lady Rhema Hall.
Titled Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, the presentation highlights the first cantata in Coleridge-Taylor’s celebrated trilogy, Scenes from the Song of Hiawatha, composed between 1898 and 1900. The work achieved extraordinary acclaim and brought the composer international recognition. The Song of Hiawatha received its first complete performance in 1900 at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and such was the enthusiasm for Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast that Coleridge-Taylor was commissioned to write a sequel, The Death of Minnehaha, even before the first work was publicly heard.
At the height of its popularity, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast rivalled Handel’s Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Elijah in public esteem. No other work by Coleridge-Taylor achieved comparable fame. The tenor aria Onaway! Awake, Beloved! remained a staple of the tenor repertoire for more than 50 years.
Coleridge-Taylor was highly esteemed by leading English composers of his time. Sir Edward Elgar described him as “far and away the cleverest fellow going amongst the younger men”, while Sir Arthur Sullivan — best known for his comic operas — praised the composer following the première of Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast at the Royal College of Music on November 11, 1898. Sullivan remarked: “The music is fresh and original — he has melody and harmony in abundance, and his scoring is brilliant and full of colour — at times luscious, rich and sensual.”
Chairman of the National Chorale, Christopher Samuda, expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming concert, describing it as particularly timely. “Bringing such a feast of masterful compositions as Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast to the forefront deepens the chorale’s commitment to preserving the classical genre and to celebrating the healing and restorative power of timeless choral music — especially at a time when Jamaica seeks renewal and restoration.”
In keeping with its educational mission, the National Chorale has invited corporate Jamaica to sponsor the attendance of selected high-school music students. This long-standing initiative aims to expose young Jamaicans to the country’s deep classical music roots, which date back to the 18th century with composers such as Samuel Felsted, who wrote Jonah, the first oratorio composed in the New World.
Musical director Winston Ewart expounded on the island’s classical tradition.
“While Jamaica is globally renowned for its vibrant popular music — reggae and dancehall — a significant classical music tradition also exists. This heritage, shaped by history and sustained by dedicated artistes and institutions, deserves recognition and continued support,” Ewart said.
English (US) ·