Paula Lindo
Teen musical prodigy Michael Hudlin will star in the upcoming concert A Breath of Fresh Air.
The show will feature the original compositions and arrangements of 18-year-old Hudlin, who performs with the Lydian Singers and the UWI Arts Chorale. Hudlin is a multiple Music Festival winner and the most recent recipient of the Suraj Boodram Prize for Best Music Certificate Student at UWI, St Augustine.
Also on the bill are the UWI Arts Chorale, dancer/choreographer Trevorn Cudjoe and soloists C'Rel Harper, Rondell Mungal, Arianna Rodas, Anikha Ballah, Tevin Gall, Jonathan Corbie, Kory Mendez and Dominique Friday.
Hudlin said he has always been interested in music. "My parents tell stories of me playing the piano before I could talk, because I had a toy keyboard and I used to bang on it and be humming along to whatever I would play. I eventually started music classes when I was seven years old, and from there I grew a love and appreciation for music."
His father, John, composed music for the Roman Catholic church and the young Michael began composing himself at age 14 when church liturgy changed in 2011. He started the compositions he will perform at the show when he needed to compose a piece for the CSEC music examinations.
Hudlin said part of his motivation for doing the concert is to show people that there is a rich culture of vocal, choral and classical music in T&T.
"I want people to realise that our talents should not be confined to singing soca or singing in church. We can take what we have and create our own pathways to expose what else we can provide and produce here in T&T."
He is also applying to study music at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh. "I intend on pursuing voice and piano at the university and hopefully forge a path into musical direction and conducting."
A Breath of Fresh Air is being staged by Chandelier Productions. Hudlin said he had wanted to do a concert for some time and recently decided he would try to do one that was entirely original compositions and arrangements. He approached Tiana Chandler of Chandelier Productions, where he is the musical director.
"I asked the UWI Arts Chorale to do the show because I know they would have been able to learn the music quickly and I appreciate the calibre they perform at."
Chandler said she's excited to do the concert because she wants to feature the exceptional work that Hudlin does. "He's really good as a singer, as a musical director, composer, arranger, piano player, he is good across the board and very all-rounded in the musical field."
She also said one of the most important things to her in producing the show is to get young performers on the stage, as she did last year in her first concert, Theatre Night Out.
A Breath of Fresh Air takes place on Saturday, at 7 pm at the Southern Academy of the Performing Arts (Sapa), San Fernando.
�2 Email: chandelierproductions1@gmail.com or call 710-9436 for more information.