English born International Soprano singer, Abigail Kelly, arrived in Grand Cayman Wednesday (24) night from the UK to perform in two charity concerts she is headlining.

Abigail currently sings with the English Touring Opera (ETO) and says although one of her career highlights has been singing with Opera South Africa, coming to the Cayman islands is extra special.

This is her first visit and hopefully, she says, it will not be her last. Her Jamaican family has close ties with many people here and she hopes they will all come out and see her perform.

She says everyone she has met has been so friendly and Grand Cayman is very beautiful. She understands why people tell her that people fall in love with the country at first sight.

Since landing she has been “tweeting” all her friends.

I asked her if she had always wanted to be a singer and particularly an opera singer.

Her answer was surprisingly “no”.

She was interested from an early age in genetic illnesses and that was the field she wanted to choose as a career. She did indeed start to study it but always wanting to sing was becoming an obstacle to her training.

Laughingly, she blamed the career change to studying classical music on her father who always wanted her to sing.

From a child she had taken singing and dancing lessons and she was always performing at her schools and church including traditional English pantomimes.

Her father sang and taught her Jamaican Folk Songs and she has added them to her operatic repertoire.

Abigail completed her Post Graduate Diploma course in operatic studies at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow under the tuition of Helen Lawson. In 2006 she completed her undergraduate studies at Birmingham Conservatoire with a first class honours degree studying under Maureen Brathwaite with further tuition from Stuart Smith and Jane Robinson. She was awarded a course scholarship, the Robert Gahan prize for achievement by a first-year singer and the BMus prize. She has also won the Leamington Spa Festival’s Rae Woodland opera competition. Abigail is grateful to the Peter Moores Foundation, which gave her additional financial assistance to further her operatic training.

Abigail will be performing at St. George’s Church on Friday and Saturday 26^th and 27^th October, 2012 at 7:30pm. Tickets will be $25 presold and $30 at door. As well as classical pieces she will be singing popular show songs and Jamaican folk songs that have been arranged specially for this concert.

She will be accompanied by Cayman musicians Fran McConvey (Piano), Kate Allenger (Violin), Sue Horrocks (Flute) and Richard DeLacey (Viola).

There will also be a special appearance from St. George’s Anglican Youth Choir.

For reservations call St. George’s Church Office 949 5583.

Enquiries and more information email Marjorie Scott: [email protected]