Reporter
leeanna.maharaj@guardian.co.tt
The streets of Port-of-Spain tell many stories. For some, they’re simply a path from one place to the next. For others, they reveal a harsher reality—one marked by noise, hustle, and moments that aren’t always easy on the eyes or ears. However, one man is hoping to change that—not through protest or policy, but with something far more elegant: classical music.
Stanley Roach is an 81-year-old violinist from Malabar, who spends some of his weekdays on Independence Square serenading passers-by with his violin-playing.
“Some of them will never go to a concert, and I can play [classical music] for them,” he said.
It’s a joy he’s known all his life and one he hopes to share with everyone else.
“I started at the age of four, and I can always remember my father would hold my hand and show me, ‘this is the G note’, and after a while we would get the manuscript and write on the page where the staff of the music was,” he reminisced.
Roach took to the streets years ago with the hope of sharing what he’s always known, but he admits, stepping into that space wasn’t an easy decision.
“There’s a stigma to overcome, because playing on the road—at first, I had a problem. I said, ‘Gosh, I used to play in the church, with my white shirt and tie, and now I’ve come on the road—I feel like I’ve stepped down.’ But I overcame that, and it doesn’t bother me,” Roach explained.
While he has learned to tune out the doubts, it’s still not an easy road.
“There are people who will come and snatch whatever little change you might have there. They might threaten to beat you up or something like that,” he admitted.
Still, Roach remains undeterred because for him, this isn’t about the money; it’s what keeps him going.
“So, the objective is not money. The idea is to keep yourself. This is my take on that. The idea is to keep yourself informed,” Roach said.
He also holds on to a lifelong dream: to one day release his own album.
“If it takes me until the last year of my life—when I put it down, it has to be 100 per cent professional standard, you know?” he shared.
The standard he’s aiming for is inspired by the likes of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and even jazz composers like Hoagy Carmichael —whose famous piece Stardust is one of his favourites. He was playing it when Guardian Media met with him.
So, the next time you’re walking through Port-of-Spain, keep your ears open. You just might catch the sound of something rare—Stanley Roach’s violin softly breaking through the city’s chaos.
