Department of Education Services (DES) Hosts 2021 NCFA Final Concerts

Last week (Thursday, 29 April-Saturday, 1 May) National Children’s Festival of the Arts (NCFA) gold awardees from 13 schools entertained captive audiences during three final concerts to showcase their winning song, dance, speech and instrumental performances.

DES Acting Customer Service Manager Mrs. Gloria Bell marvelled at the tremendous display of local talent at the concerts held at the First Baptist Church (Thursday, Friday) and Triple C School (Saturday).

“I am thrilled that parents and members of the public had the opportunity to experience the variety of talent that we have across our schools. The stellar performances that we have witnessed over the past few days not only lay testament to the excellent performing arts programmes in our schools but also augur well for its [performing arts] future in the Cayman Islands.”

Mrs. Bell further used the opportunity to express her gratitude to the teachers, students, adjudicators, and support staff for their participation and commitment to Performing Arts. She also thanked the Cayman Islands Civil Service Association (CICSA) Co-operative Credit Union for its generous sponsorship of the NCFA’s small instrumental ensembles.

Underscoring the importance of the NCFA, Ms. Stephanie Williams, adjudicator, and one of the founding members of the festival, remarked, “The just-concluded NCFA final concerts demonstrate the importance of the arts in the curriculum of schools. We saw children performing in the areas of instrumental and vocal music, dance, and speech. Schools should be commended for the growth of the string programmes. I hope that the NCFA will continue to improve and develop into an impressive vehicle for future cultural development.”

CICSA Cooperative Credit Union Senior Credit Risk Manager Mr. David Downes stated, “The CICSA Cooperative Credit Union Limited is extremely happy to contribute in helping the youth of the Cayman Islands develop, explore, and in some cases discover their musical talent. Music is powerful and will contribute to their continuing development beyond academia.”

John Gray High School soloist and three-time gold awardee Rayne Harding, who performed at the First Baptist Church on Thursday evening, hopes that the experience will allow him to develop into a more rounded individual and a seasoned performer.

“I am happy for this experience and hope that it will help improve my skills and confidence and provide me with the opportunity to meet and share with other like-minded individuals,” Rayne stated.

Jeffery Albury, parent of Triple C choir member Arriah, beamed with pride as she entered the stage at Triple C School on Saturday evening. He commended the DES for providing ‘an excellent platform for students to engage in social interaction’.

The nightly programmes included members of the DES management providing opening remarks and offering the opening prayer. DES Head of Business Services Mr. Mark Ray and Acting Senior School Improvement Officer (SSIO) Mr. Elroy Bryan shared emcee duties over the three nights while Mrs. Gloria Bell provided acknowledgements.

The 2021 NCFA season will culminate this month with the Young Musicians of the Year and the Amin Mohammed Steel Pan Competitions on 8th and 15th May, respectively.

For more details about the National Children Festival of the Arts, contact DES Senior Customer Service Officer Nicki Samuels by telephone at 945-1199 or by email at Nicki.Samuels@gov.ky or SSIO/Acting Customer Service Manager Mrs. Gloria Bell by telephone at 926-9727, or 945-1199 or by email at gloria.bell@gov.ky.

To learn more about other DES programmes and activities, visit the Department of Education’s website at https://schools.edu.ky/Pages/Home.aspx.