10 THE WASHINGTON National Cathedral in Washington, DC, is among several historic venues in the United States slated to be filled with the sounds of the Jamaica Youth Chorale (JYC) this week. The internationally acclaimed group will be in the US during the first week of February on its Redemption Songs tour which will showcase choral repertoire by Jamaican and African American composers appropriate for the commemoration and celebration of Reggae and Black History Months. The choir will make their first stop at the National Cathedral on February 2, with a free 30-minute concert just after noon. Funding partners and other invited guests of the group were treated to snippets of the repertoire at a pre-tour recital in the Ballroom of King’s House last Sunday afternoon. Founder and musical director of the JYC, Greg Simms, in his opening remarks thanked the partners in attendance for their support, which has made the trip possible. He noted that fine-tuning was still being done to ensure the group effectively represents the country, even amid the winter temperatures. “We are excited to go and present these topclass compositions from our Jamaicans as well as put our own unique interpretations on those arrangements done by our African American counterparts,” he said. The pre-tour recital included Noel Dexter’s Bright Soul, SupposeWe DohMeet arranged by CSWalters, and Greg Simms’ spin on the popular folk tune, EveningTime. Dr Kathy Brown was also in the mix with her arrangements of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song and Wonderful Jamaica. The choir showed their versatility from the show opener, Lift EveryVoice and Sing, a composition by African American Roland Carter. Simms said the group is aiming to use the experience to exchange and network with other choirs, composers and creative professionals as well as engage with the Jamaican diaspora. While inWashington, DC, the group will also interact in a cultural exchange activity with students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts as well as make a stop at the National Museum of African and American History and Culture. They will give a free concert at the historic Church of the Epiphany. From Washington, DC, the group will travel to Virginia, where they will give a performance inside the historic Shiloh Baptist Church under the patronage of Ambassador Pamela E. Bridgewater, former US ambassador to Jamaica. Before returning to Jamaica, the group will also travel to New York for a full concert at the St Augustine’s Episcopal Church on February 5. The Redemption Songs Tour concludes the JYC’s winter concert season which started in December 2022 with the return of Christmas Joy inside the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, Mona. Funding for JYC’s winter season has come from CHASE Fund’s Entertainment Industry Support Initiative 2022 and the VM Group. NEW YORK: THE FULL cast of the much anticipated new television series pilot FromYard has been announced. From Yard is based on the autobiographical novel Yardie by David G. Heron. Described as an immigrant urban drama, it follows the life of the author from his childhood days growing up in Jamaica through his often turbulent young adulthood in New York City, including his years as a parole officer, as he struggles to find his own path amid personal and professional challenges and tragedy. The series is produced by Leland and Phaedra Benford through Cupcake Rapture Studios in Atlanta, with Heron serving as executive producer. Benford directs from a script written by Heron, Noel E. Dunn and Maya Hall, adapted from Heron’s novel. The talented and diverse cast of mostly Jamaican actors that will join the previously announced Miranda Melhado includes Shevrado Oliver, Glen ‘Titus’ Campbell, David Heron (not to be confused with the story’s author David G. Heron), Joe Herrera, Darron Donaldson, Adam Christian, Claire Dennison, and Chaun Archer. Shevrado Oliver heads the cast as the series’ lead character, David G. Heron, aka ‘Dave.’ Oliver is one of Jamaica’s fastest rising young actors with a growing resume that spans both stage and screen. He can currently be seen on the Television Jamaica series Thicker Than Water and will appear in the upcoming feature films Behind ClosedDoors and The Mars Conspiracy. Glen ‘Titus’ Campbell appears as Mr Duncan, the ill-tempered Jamaican shopkeeper whose life is made consistently miserable by the boyhood pranks of young Dave Heron and his friends. Campbell is an award-winning actor and one of the most versatile and prolific Jamaican artistes of his generation. His screen credits include films such as Third World Cop, Sprinter, Joseph and BBC One’s Small Island. David Heron portrays Samuel Heron, Dave’s stern yet tender father who moves to the US initially before sending for the rest of his family. Heron is an award-winning playwright and actor whose controversial legal drama Against His Will was recently presented at NewYork’s Apollo Theatre by actor-producer Malik Yoba. His screen credits include HBO’s How To Make It In America and the African soap opera Ya Ma Africa. Joe Herrera plays the role of Ramon Diaz, Dave’s tough, wise-cracking parole officer partner. Herrera is an accomplished actor with an extensive list of screen credits, including the films Inheritance, Let There Be Light and the upcoming Grace By Night, as well as television series such as BET’s The Family Business, FOX TV’s The Resident and Ghostwriter. Darron Donaldson appears as Trevor, Dave’s ambitious cousin who arrives in the US illegally, determined to succeed by whatever means necessary. Donaldson is an actor and model who has been featured in music videos with Stephen Marley and Shenseea as well as campaigns for brands such as Mastercard and Digicel. From Yard represents his first major acting role. Adam Christian plays the role of young Dave Heron, seen in flashback scenes of Dave’s childhood in Jamaica and the USA. Adam is a student at The American International School in Kingston (AISK) and has appeared in several of his school’s theatrical productions. FromYardmarks his professional acting début. Rounding out the cast are Claire Dennison as Dave’s devoted mother Madeline Heron, Chaun Archer as his sister Phoebe and Miranda Melhado as Lisa, a high school dropout known to Dave.They are joined by Michael Heron, Dakarai Lawrence and Ashanti Harris among others. Principal photography on the production recently wrapped in Kingston, Jamaica after earlier scenes were shot in Atlanta in mid-January. According to producer-director Leland Benford, whose first feature film Empathy will hit the festival circuit later this year, “I can honestly say that the experience of working on From Yard in Atlanta and in Jamaica has been nothing short of amazing. The goal has always been to bring excitement and authenticity to the life story of David G. Heron - an immigrant urban story that has yet to be told - and I believe that we have done that. Quite frankly, I can’t wait to show audiences what we have created.” Benford also confirms that upon completion, the pilot of FromYard will be shopped to various cable networks and streaming platforms to secure a production deal for the remaining episodes of the show’s first season. Full cast announced for new TV series pilot from yard Jamaica Youth Chorale on tour in US Tribute to Reggae and Black History Months JYC with representaives from the VM Group Allison Morgan, Cover Moore and Natasha Reid. CONTRIBUTED ‘We are excited to go and present these top-class compositions from our Jamaicans as well as put our own unique interpretations on those arrangements done by our African American counterparts.’ THE WEEKLY GLEANER | FEBRUARY 5 - MARCH 2, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS
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