Over fifty young Barbadian and Vincentian musicians are expeced to benefit from an Educational, Cultural and Music exchange program which is a collaboration of the Julian Bowen Music Academy – (JBMA) & Performning Arts from Barbados with Music educators from St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The Musical Exchange program which runs for 15 days also has the blessings from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture.
The opening ceremony on Monday, August 17, 2026 featured the playing of the national anthem of SVG by emerging Vincentian musicians and formal addresses by officials from the Ministries of Education and Culture.
Cultural Ambassador and Music Officer in the Ministry of Education, Darron Andrews, welcomed the participants and parents of the music students, setting the stage for an interesting opening ceremony, while Julian Bowen, Director of JBMA, among other things encouraged the students from both Barbados and SVG to interact with each other and to form friendships that will no doubt last for decades to come.
The featured speaker was Cultural Officer Maxine Browne who saw music as the vehicle to foster caribbean unity. During her address she interacted with the audience continuously as she unravelled the components of music by speaking briefly about each letter of the word MUSIC. Her address was preceded by a solo dancer in cultural attire.
To climax the opening ceremony. Two teenaged Barbadian musicians thrilled the audience with musical pieces on the piano and cello, and following a vote of thanks by Mrs. Hazelann Sandy-Bowen, the local press was provided with a ‘photo op’ to get group pictures of the participants..
Several local music teachers as well as parents of students participating in the 2 week course attended the launch. During the two week session there will be some breaks to allow the students to visit the Grenadines as well as tours on mainand St. Vincent.
The public is invited to three musical recitals featuring some of these young musicians at the Methodist town Hall on August 21 and 23 at 6PM and 5 PM respectively on the given dates. At the end of the musical and cultural exchange, the students will give the public a musical concert scheduled for August 28 at the Memorial Hall beginning at 60:00 PM. Plans are in the making for Vincentian musicians to visit Barbados in the summer of 2027.
