UTT Ibis Ensemble - 2018/19 Season
by Simon Browne

Artists: Simon Browne, Eunmi Choi, Yevgeny Dokshansky, Natalia Dopwell, Mia Gormandy-Benjamin, Aidan Chamberlain, Katy Gainham, Caitlyn Kamminga, Hayward Mickens, Eleanor Ryan, Adam Walters, Josh Watkins, Anthony Woodroffe

UTT Ibis Ensemble is made up of faculty members from the UTT Academy for Performing Arts, at the NAPA campus of the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

The ensemble aims to present varied programmes of classical and non-classical genres at least once a month. Of special interest is the presentation of Caribbean music, and support for home-grown musicians.

The ensemble regularly rehearses twice a week.

All concerts take place at 5pm on Saturdays, in Theatre 1 at UTT’s NAPA Campus, and are free to the public.

November’s concert featured new and old presentations of classic Trinidad calypso and String Band music, arranged by UTT Assistant-professor Simon Browne.

Carnival Callaloo included a performance of Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals with animations by the UTT Academy’s Digital Media students.

Windrush: Taking Calypso to London commemorated the 70th anniversary of the arrival of Lord Kitchener and Lord Beginner in London. Calypso researcher Ray Funk gave a memorable multimedia talk, punctuated by new arrangements by Simon Browne of calypsos from those first years in England, sung by Krisson Joseph.

January 2019 saw a visit from faculty members of the University of Delaware’s Music Department, which was reciprocated in March. Performances of UTT Assistant-professor Adam Walter’s River of Freedom, set to a libretto written by UTT Assistant-professor Caitlyn Kamminga, were given both in Trinidad and in the US.

May 2020 also marked the premiere of Adam Walter’s Becoming - in collaboration with Metamorphosis Dance Company.

UTT Ibis Ensemble members:

Simon Browne - violin & viola

Eleanor Ryan - violin

Caitlyn Kamminga - double bass

Katy Gainham - flute & piccolo

Yevgeny Dokshansky - clarinet

Anthony Woodroofe - clarinet, flute & saxophone

Aidan Chamberlain - trombone

Adam Walters - French horn

Hayward Mickens - piano

Mia Gormandy - Steel Pan

Josh Watkins - percussion

Natalia Dopwell - soprano

2018/19 Concert schedule:

September 15, 2018 - Crossroads: Where Jazz meets Classical

November 3, 2018 - Best of Early Calypso

November 17, 2018 - Carnival Callaloo

December 8, 2018 - Chocolate Kisses

January 19, 2019 - River of Freedom

February 9, 2019 - Salut d’Amour

February 16, 2019 - Windrush: Taking Calypso to London

March 13-17, 2019 - River of Freedom US tour (performances at University of Delaware & the Clef Club, Philadelphia)         

April 13, 2019  - Tango!

April 27, 2019 - 1st International Composition Competition - The Finalists in Concert

May 9-12, 2019 - Becoming (4 concerts at Queens Hall, Port-of-Spain, in collaboration with the Metamorphosis Dance Company)

Click here to download UTT Ibis Ensemble 2018-2019 Season -  Various Artists