IMAGE: Cayman Choir & Orchestra performing at The Harquail Theatre – From Georgina Wilcox

The Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF) is delighted to announce a new resident company of the FJ Harquail Cultural Centre: the Cayman National Choir and Orchestra (CNCO). As a resident company CNCO will now be permanently based at the complex, rehearsing and performing on site. The new partnership was celebrated with CNCO’s inaugural concert at the Harquail Theatre this past weekend, which saw the debut of international award-winning flauist Aleksandra Henszel with the wider choir and orchestra under Director of Music for the Orchestra, Alina Makhina and Director of Music for the Choir, Melody Gifford.

This move to welcome more creative companies to the Cultural Centre is part of the new strategic vision for CNCF and the result of an 18-month strategic redevelopment project by CNCF Board, staff, and stakeholders.  Building on a strong 40-year legacy, this exercise explored the ways and means of returning to a version of the original mission for CNCF as an ‘umbrella’ cultural management body that is responsive to evolving cultural sector needs. This model shifts CNCF’s primary role from that of ‘producer’ to facilitator. This expands support for the creative sector via professional development initiatives and a larger annual grants programme. Also increasing focused on the development of culture and heritage resources, sector-wide promotions, advocacy, and supporting the implementation of the National Cultural and Heritage Policy priorities. A key part of the restructuring includes opening up the site as a National Cultural Campus – a concept that was originally envisioned for CNCF in 1984 – in partnership with adjacent landowners the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands.

“As we evolve our primary focus from developing in-house productions and festivals to facilitating a wider cultural programme through partnerships, our Resident Companies, Artist/Scholar-in Residence, and Creative Partnerships programmes will provide unique opportunities for creative organisations, individuals, and charities to develop creative, collaborative relationships with us,” says CNCF CEO Natalie Urquhart. “This enables us to expand the scope of CNCF’s work, building on our strong creative legacy, and supporting the growing creative sector in Cayman across all disciplines.”

The Cayman National Choir and Orchestra (CNCO) will be based in the smaller stage space called The Studio Theatre for twice-weekly rehearsals, with several annual performances held at the Harquail Theatre. Says CNCO, “We are delighted to become partners with the Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF). High rental costs for our rehearsal rooms had threatened our existence but becoming a Resident Company of the F.J. Harquail Cultural Centre has provided us with an ideal rehearsal room, at a greatly subsidized rent, and performance space, which will secure our future. The Harquail Theatre is the natural home of the arts in Cayman, and we are thrilled to make this wonderful theatre the venue for our future concerts.”

CNCF also recently launched its new Artist/Scholar-in-Residence (AIR), programme which was piloted by leading Caymanian artist Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette. The programme provides AIRs with a creative residency studio at the Minds Eye Centre and a monthly stipend. It is designed to provide artists (performing, visual, literary, and so forth), and scholars with the opportunity to undertake funded creative, or cultural heritage-inspired, research projects of their choosing. Also new to the CNCF roster is the Creative Partnerships Programme (CPP), where CNCF provides in-kind support to performing arts companies and creative charities via use of the Harquail Theatre venue, and technical support. Over the past few months, CNCF has collaborated with multiple companies via the CPP including: Cayman Islands National Dance Company, Cayman Arts Festival, the Red Boat Experience, UCCI Performing Arts, Floetry, Cayman Talent Expo, Needles and Friends Sewing Circle, Pan N’ Riddim, Matt Brown’s ‘Wha Happening’, and others.

Says CNCF Chairperson Lorna Reid, “These new initiatives are helping CNCF to transform its role as a national cultural management body, and to greatly widen our impact. We are grateful to CNCO for joining us to help make this new vision a reality and congratulate them on their first concert as a Resident Company, which welcomed a packed and highly engaged audience. We excited to continue growing our partnership, and collaborative programming in the coming months.”

Information about all of these initiatives will shortly be available via CNCF’s new website. In the meantime, please email [email protected] or call (345) 949 5477, and follow CNCF social media @CaymanCulture, to learn more.