The Philharmonic Orchestra of Jamaica (POJ) is creating a buzz among classical music enthusiasts in Jamaica who eagerly anticipate the staging of  the Éclat Opéra concert, scheduled for November 16-17, 2024, at the Little Theatre in Kingston.

The event will be headlined by The Concert Chorale of Harlem (TCCH), a world-class American opera musical group, and will feature Jamaica’s leading classical ensemble, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jamaica.

The organisers have promised that attendees will be in for a dazzling production that lives up to the French meaning of the highly anticipated event’s title, Éclat Opéra .

The Éclat Opéra two-series concerts will showcase an inspiring collection of arias and beloved classics from renowned opera composers such as Verdi, Puccini, and Donizetti. Additionally, the programme will feature modern works from Gershwin and Bernstein, as well as compositions by leading Jamaican composers.

Classical music fans should expect an exhilarating mix of Broadway, jazz, classical favourites, and spirituals.

A part of the lineup for the Éclat Opéra concert are three-time Grammy award-winning American tenor Chauncey Packer, two-time Grammy award nominee soprano Laquita Mitchell, baritone and actor Clayton G Williams, soprano Olanna Goudeau, and conductor Dr Tyrone Clinton Jr.

“An opera concert with such high-calibre opera singers backed by a full orchestra is a rare occurrence in Jamaica, and music lovers should not miss this special treat,” stated Andrew Ho, executive chairman of POJ.

TCCH Inc is a performing arts organisation of classically trained musicians dedicated to enriching the community through music and educating global audiences. It consists of fourteen Black opera singers, some of whom have performed with the Metropolitan Opera and are graduates from prestigious institutions like Julliard School and Manhattan School of Music, having trained with prominent voice professors within the United States.

Members of the group have individually performed in the world’s most prominent venues including, but not limited to, the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Opera, and Comique in Paris, among others,

The musical company was founded by music director, Rodari Simpson, a Jamaican-born tenor now based in New York.

According to Simpson “This visit means so much to us as we share the joys of classical music and the art of opera with Jamaican audiences. It’s also an opportunity to showcase Jamaican and Caribbean talent which I have always felt has a special vibrance.”

POJ is led by popular conductor and music director Franklin Halliburton, who will share
the baton with the TCCH’s conductor Dr Tyrone Clinton Jr.

Dr Clinton Jr, a Brooklyn, New York native, has wide experience in conducting, singing and academia and has collaborated with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra on several performances. He is the founder of
Unsung Collective, a non-profit group which is devoted to celebrating people of colour in Western art music in New York City.

Halliburton is “thrilled to be collaborating with this distinguished group of classical opera singers from New York.

He added: “And I am particularly pleased that they will be performing an original choral work created by one of our local composers. I am sure that the performance will leave the audience spellbound.”

The POJ was founded in 2013 and has promoted classical music in Jamaica for over eleven years and is highly regarded for hosting some of the most electrifying, high-quality, and unforgettable classical concerts in Jamaica on an annual basis.

The Éclat Opéra concert is sponsored by the Jamaica Tourist Board and CHASE Fund and is curated by the POJ and TCCH, both non-profit performing arts organisations of classically trained musicians.

Ticket outlets for the Eclat Opera concert in Kingston include Fontana-Waterloo Square, Monarch Pharmacy-Sovereign Centre & Barbican, and Music Mart -South Avenue. In addition, details about the event can be viewed at www.eclatoperajm.com.