Michael Reckord, Gleaner Writer

Filicia Morrison accompanied by 10-year-old Corelle Jackson (performing sign language) at Filicia's (Soprano) Recital at the Hilton Kingston hotel on Sunday July 27. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

At a concert on Sunday, two of Jamaica's promising young classical singers were compared to our Olympics-bound athletes. Like the latter, Filicia Morrison and Sadiki Burton are ready to "blaze a trail in the world," said University of the West Indies Professor Alvin Wint, the master of ceremonies.

The concert, held in the ballroom of the Hilton Kingston hotel, was a fund-raiser for Morrison, who has plans to go abroad for further music studies. She graduated last year with an associate degree in Dental Hygiene from Northern Caribbean University (NCU), where she also studied music and performed extensively.

Morrison was a member of all the choirs on campus and sang with the Chamber choir in Maryland in 2004 and Missouri in 2005. Additionally, as a member of the female quartet KARIS, she went on a four-state tour in 2006.

Music degree

In an interview after her recital, Morrison told The Gleaner that she has been gathering information about enrolling in a music degree programme at a Seventh-day Adventist college in the United States or Argentina. Her intention is to "glorify God" through singing classical music.

Though she would do some opera, she would not sing exclusively in that field. Instead, she would sing across a range of musical genres.

She demonstrated her ability to do just that on Sunday. Her programme comprised religious songs, operatic pieces, songs from Broadway musicals and a Jamaican folk song, and her rendition of all the items was enthusiastically applauded by the approximately 80-strong audience.

Classical pieces

As classical pieces, she sang Handel (Come Unto Him, from Messiah), Mozart (Alleluia, from the motet Exultate Jubilate), both Richard and Johann Strauss (Zuiegnung and Mein Herr Marquis, respectively) and Puccini (one item from the opera Gianni Schicchi and the other from La Boheme).

The selected songs from the musicals were Till There Was You, from Music Man and Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, from Phantom of the Opera. Evening Time (words by Louise Bennett) was yet another song.

From her tutor Dr Curtis Watson, Morrison clearly learnt much about stage presence, and in delivering her songs she not only used her superb voice but also her eyes, gestures and body to portray character and mood. That meant she was a joy to listen to and watch.

To The Gleaner she related an interesting anecdote about how, at age 12, she was singing in church to keep the congregation entertained while they waited on the pastor. While she was singing, the pastor arrived and he was so impressed that he gave her a full scholarship to Willowdene High School. This led to her later moving on to NCU and the formal study of music.

Sadiki Burton told The Gleaner that her dream is to study music at NCU. Currently she is on the administrative staff at the University College of the Caribbean (UCC).

Christmas carol

Burton started in classical music when at age eight, she "fell in love" with the Christmas carol O Holy Night and later with Kathleen Battle's rendition of the spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

"I wanted to sing like her," Burton declared. "I knew classical music was for me."

When she was 16, and in high school, her music teacher discovered her extraordinary vocal range and introduced her to Dr Watson.

From him she received tutoring for less than two years, but for the past five years she has not had any formal music lessons. She does, however, sing in churches and is a member of two Adventist church choirs.

Her concert choices, The Lord is My Light and My Salvation, Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace and Love Changes Everything showed that she is an immensely talented singer.

Graceful manner

Two other persons performed on stage. One was 10-year-old Corelle Jackson, who performed sign language in a most graceful manner, while Morrison sang Via Dolorosa (Billy Sprague); the other was Lennoi Anderson, who briefly left his job of accompanying Morrison on piano to play his own quite delightful composition on his acoustic guitar.

After the concert, gifts were given to all the performers. One bouquet of flowers was given to Morrison by the founder and head of UCC, Mr Winston Adams.

Sponsors of the show included the UCC, Hilton Kingston hotel and The Gleaner.