Aug 30, 2012
04:45 PM
Haitian Boys Choir Sings at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Image courtesy of Holy Trinity Music School
Come one, come all for the fabulous sounds of Les Petits Chanteurs from the Holy Trinity Music School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (see their YouTube link from 2010 at the Connecticut Diocese). The group of 30 boys and young men are set to return to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Friday, September 14th at 7:00 p.m. for a fantastic display of musical talent. You may want to get a seat early as it was standing-room only the last time they whizzed through town!
Music and education are the sustenance that feeds the Haitian soul—music because it is beautiful; education because it is rare. Too many children grow to be illiterate adults because they cannot afford a good education. Ninety percent of the population survives on less that $150 per year. There is still chaos and corruption in the wake of the devastating earthquake in 2010; over 600,000 residents still live in tents with no safe drinking water. In spite or perhaps because of that, these boys find joy in singing.
Founded in 1960, the group has continued to turn out musically gifted young adults who often return to conduct. In this case, the current director, Jean-Bernard Desinat, is a product of the Holy Trinity Music School.
The boys audition as young as age seven and continue through high school. In recent years, the choir has performed the Fauré Requiem and the Mozart Requiem with orchestra. They have also performed with the Holy Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra in a remembrance event at Holy Trinity Cathedral. Since the earthquake, they have participated in many concerts in the ‘tent cities’. Les Petits Chanteurs first visited the United States in 1984 and have returned countless times to rave reviews.
The musical event will raise funds for the Holy Trinity Music School. The event is sponsored by Trinity In Motion, a collaborative effort between St. Paul’s Church, Trinity Church in Southport, and St. Timothy’s. It is meant to promote awareness of the conditions still plaguing Haiti and to build financial support for the Holy Trinity School in Port-au-Prince.
In June 2008, a few select parishioners from St. Paul’s Church went to Haiti and visited the Holy Trinity School. They saw the good work being done there to give children a strong education. These children thrive, survive, and excel.
St. Paul’s wanted to support that ambition even more. They reached out to Trinity and St. Timothy’s to join forces and that’s when Trinity In Motion was born. Since that time, the three churches have collectively raised over $140,000.
The event is free and open to the public, but any donations will be happily welcomed. For more information about the upcoming concert or to find out more about Trinity In Motion, visit St. Paul’s Church online at www.stpaulsfairfield.org or call 203-259-3013.
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