Amid troubling times in our nation's development, the Marionettes invite the national community to celebrate the true meaning of this festive season, with gratitude, humanity and hope for redemption. The group will be hosting Christmas With The Marionettes, which plays at the Queen's Hall from tomorrow to December 5.This concert series comes after a year of fund-raising and charity work for the Marionettes.
Last July, the choir toured Trinidad, partnering with local NGOs, to raise funds for a variety of causes. During the last five years, the Marionettes has raised nearly $1 million in support of victims of domestic violence, hurricane relief efforts, cancer treatment, prevention and mentoring programmes for at-risk youth, and to care for the terminally ill.
In this spirit, the Marionettes once again will host a fund-raising opening night Gala in aid of the Robert Riley Foundation.This new non-profit organisation-named after former bpTT CEO Robert Riley-is dedicated to reducing juvenile delinquency among at-risk boys and young men, and intervening and rehabilitating troubled youths. Additionally, the Marionettes and bpTT will host a special free matinée on Saturday for senior citizens and children from various institutions across the island.
The chorale also celebrates cherished milestones in its own family-the 15th anniversary of the Youth Chorale, now comprising young people from more than 35 national schools, and 40 years of sponsorship by bpTT for the Marionettes' sister organisation, the Renegades Steel Orchestra.The choir also joins with the international artistic community in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the hit musical, Les Misérables, and the 80th birthday of renowned lyricist and composer, Stephen Sondheim.
Patrons can look forward to performances from their favourite Marionettes soloists, Jacqueline Johnson, Kendall Reid, Leah Lewis, Stephan Hernandez, Debbie Nahous, Patrice Quammie, Garfield Washington, Danielle Williams, and many more. The concert will also feature the male choir, and a guest conductor from within the Marionettes' membership.
A Christmas album, which features earlier collaborations with the Renegades, and Sing Noel, will also be on sale during the concert, and the full albums and individual tracks are available online at iTunes, CDBaby.com and TrinidadTunes.com.All proceeds go toward the Marionettes Property Fund for the construction of the group's own rehearsal and performance space.
Tickets cost $250 for the charity gala, and $200 (reserved) and $150 (open plan) for the rest of the run, and are available at the Queen's Hall Box Office (tel: 624-1284), from members of the chorale, and online at http://www.CaribbeanBoxOffice.net.
More Info
For more info, visit the Marionettes' Page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/marionetteschorale; send a message to e-mail@marionetteschorale.com; or call us at (868) 790-1751.