Wednesday 30 April, 2008

The night of Wednesday 30 April, 2008 was one to remember in London when Robert Chalwell, Jr sang in front of a very appreciative audience at Christchurch Spitalfields in a concert jointly organised by the BVI London Office and the Friends of the BVI.

Chalwell who is a classically trained tenor opened the evening with an amazing rendition of ‘Comfort ye my people.’ He later explained, “I chose that song because I wanted to create a particular mood. During the course of a regular day a person may experience different types of stress and I wanted to communicate to them that they could forget that for a while in this place and in this ambiance we would be at ease and be taken care of.” He next performed a repertoire of songs in French, Italian, German, Spanish and English from classical to contemporary chosen specifically to communicate the strength of human emotions.’

The appreciative audience included Friends of the BVI, diplomats, Virgin Islanders living and studying in the UK and members of the public who had learned about the event through publicity. The Acting High Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Dominica Her Excellency Mrs. Agnes Adonis commented that "the BVI is lucky to have someone like Robert, who is not only wonderfully talented but so committed to serving the community he comes from." Director of the London Office, Dawn Smith said ‘Robert’s performance was outstanding and he was an excellent ambassador for the talent and creativity of Virgin Islanders everywhere.’

Mr. Chalwell was accompanied by pianist Qiuwei Li who was breathtaking during the concert and who is herself also is scheduled to give a concert tour in Hong Kong, Korea, US and Japan upon her graduation from the Royal Academy of Music in 2009.

Sponsors of the event included AMS Trust, Conyers Dill & Pearman, Financial Dynamics, Harneys, Maples & Calder, Morgan & Morgan, Oyster Global Marketing, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Trident Trust, Walkers Global and private individuals.

The proceeds of the performance will benefit the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) on the eastern end of Tortola, British Virgin Islands - a grass roots development program that provides a safe and productive environment for young people during out-of-school hours where they participate in sports, homework help, tutoring, creative arts, martial arts and many other activities.

In concluding his performance Mr. Chalwell was generous with his praise for the hard working staff at the BVI London Office and Friends of the BVI Chairman Frank Savage and the Friends of the BVI. In his words, “I thank Chairman Savage and the entire community for their support and their willingness to do something a bit out of the box in not only supporting YEP but also by showcasing a different side of what the BVI is about and what it has to offer. Christchurch Spitalfields is a beautiful venue and everything was put together through sponsorship. All of the proceeds above and beyond the overheads will go to YEP. So it was quite an undertaking and it really would not have turned out the way it did without the full support of the BVI London Office… the Friends of the BVI, Chairman Savage and his Committee and of course we cannot leave out the hard work that happening on the ground through YEP with Stacy Mather at the helm.”