Michael Reckord, Contributor

Members of the New England Youth Ensemble in performance during a christmas benefit concert for the Ward Theatre Foundation, held at the Edna Manley College for the Performing Arts, Arthur Wint Drive, on Sunday. - Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Inclement weather posed a threat to the scheduled performance of the New England Youth Ensemble (NEYE) on Sunday, but for the group it was a case of "The show must go on."

After the organisers of the concert, directors of the Ward Theatre Foundation, arranged a change of venue from Jamaica House's South Lawn to the auditorium of the School of Music, Edna Manley College, the performance took place, starting only half-an-hour after the planned 5 o'clock.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the location change caused decreased attendance (apparently some would-be patrons were told the show was cancelled), but though the audience was small, the concert was, artistically, a big success.

The remarkable talent of the approximately 26 members of the NEYE who performed (the full complement is 40) was the primary factor in the performance, certainly; but a contributing one would surely have been the family atmosphere that prevails in the ensemble.

The concert attracted children and adults alike and at least one member of the Maryland-based musicians, Mia, a Jamaican, should have felt at home.

So too might have the NEYE's founder and director, Dr. Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse. She has strong Jamaican connections: she lived in the island for many years while her husband, a surgeon, practised here; and her father was once a dean at the Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville.

Formation of the NEYE

Dr. Rittenhouse certainly seemed at home as, in between her introductions of the musical items, she cheerfully chatted about the formation of the NEYE 30 years ago in her living room, its travels to 40 countries, and its performances in prestigious concert halls. New York City's Carnegie Hall was mentioned several times.

The 13 pieces played included classical and operatic music and carols. In her opening remarks, Dr. Rittenhouse said she hoped the wide range of offerings would delight all tastes, and the standing ovation given to the musicians at the end of the concert indicated that the goal was achieved.

One early audience-pleasing item was Vivaldi's Concerto for two piccolo trumpets, the soloists for which were a father and son pair of Mexican musicians, José senior and José junior. The latter is the NEYE member; his father occasionally joins in his concert appearances.

Next, the ensemble's 17-year-old soprano, Katie, lent her pretty voice to the singing of the aria Let the Bright Seraphim Arice from Handel's oratorio Samson. José junior on trumpet was another soloist in the item.

Many good musicians

Explaining the ensemble's frequent use of soloists in pairs, Dr. Rittenhouse said that it was a tradition of the Baroque period, but it was also a function of the NEYE's having so many good musicians. After her explanation, two soloists playing oboes, then two playing violins (including Mia) performed.

Two movements from longer works by Haydn followed, one featuring José junior on trumpet, the other featuring 14-year-old Quinn on cello. They brought an end to the 'weighter' music. Next up was what Dr. Rittenhouse termed the 'lighter' music,

This included the R.V. Williams carol What Child is This? and the Rutter arrangement of Joy to the World. Sandwiched between them was a clever arrangement, which included the clapping of hands, of The Tuneful Oboe.

Conducting the piece was Dr. Connie Drexler, mother of Katie and niece of Dr. Rittenhouse. The latter explained that Dr. Drexler, one of the founding members of the NEYE, had been a practising physician until two years ago when she decided to focus on her music.

The concert's closing items included Katie singing Strauss' The Laughing Song, Quinn playing Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee, and the youngest member of the NEYE, 9-year-old Rachel, playing her violin as the soloist in Borowski's Adoration.

As Mrs. Ruby Martin, chairman of the Ward Theatre Foundation, presented Dr. Rittenhouse with a basket of beautifully-arranged flowers and thanked her and the ensemble for the delightful programme, she reminded the audience that the preservation of the fast-deteriorating Ward Theatre was "all Jamaica's business."