Antigua Day 7

After the visit of the Governor General yesterday, we were delighted to welcome their excellencies, John Hamilton MBE, Resident British Commissioner to Antigua and Barbuda, Charley Williams MBE, Deputy Head of Mission to Barbados and Non-Resident High Commissioner to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Her Excellency Karen-Mae Hill OBE, High Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda to the United Kingdom and member of the Commonwealth’s Board of Governors. They engaged with the group at length, learning about the course from both students and tutors.

 A feeling of excitement was already in the air before their visit, Reuben had demonstrated his Korean Drum as part of the fusion composition group, the compositions were coming together and rehearsals allowed students from Antigua & Barbuda, St Kitts & Nevis, and Montserrat to hear the entirety of their works for the very first time.

During our breaks, Venelle Powell from St Kitts and Nevis introduced us to some local Caribbean fruits, including soursop, sugar apple, and sugar cane. The variety of flavours and types of fruits were amazing. The sugar apple was a fleshy fruit with seeds that you sucked on before spitting out the seeds once the flesh had been eaten. The soursop was deliciously sour and very soft, while the sugar cane was brittle—you bit off a small piece, sucked out the juices, and then spat out the leftover cane. We were surprised to find that the sugar cane also doubles as a toothbrush!

Final preparations meant the film group truly experienced the pressures of a recording session. This was invaluable professional development, as the realities of film composition often require strict deadlines. The students were well-prepared and managed to complete everything within the allotted time!

After the completion of the course, we cleared up the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium before heading back to the Jolly Beach Hotel, where we rehearsed and made our final preparations for tomorrow’s concert.