The Birth Of The Saint Lucia School Of Music

IT is with deep sadness that I have learnt of the passing of my friend and Founder past president of The Saint Lucia School of Music, Mr. Hunter J. Francois and I wish to extend to his family my sincere and heartfelt condolences. I feel compelled to write this vignette for posterity in the hope that those who are unaware will be informed.

Hunter Francois studied under Chester Catlow, who was an American concert pianist who had retired to Saint Lucia. He had developed a taste and appreciation for classical music, alongside the popular music of the day e.g. by Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rogers & Hammerstein. He lamented the fact that other Saint Lucians did not have the opportunity of exposure to the various musical genres which he saw as an impediment to a more rounded education and personal development. He spoke about this frequently and saw it as a deficiency in the society. As chairman of Radio Saint Lucia, he was a proponent of the programme “ From the Classics” because he saw it as a useful tool in changing that dynamic.

The presence of a piano in a few homes within the precincts of Castries, provided an opportunity for him to share his passion through musical interaction with friends. By the early eighties, it had evolved to musical soirees of family and friends on Saturday nights at Kimlan’s restaurant on Micoud Street, next to the Derek Walcott Square. It was not uncommon for people passing around the square to be lured upstairs by the strains, to listen and participate if they felt so inclined. These sessions often lasted into the wee hours of the morning with various members of the group taking turns at the piano.

It was on one of those moonlit, June evenings when Hunter was at the piano playing Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” that a lone figure, unknown to anyone there, sauntered up the stairs towards the piano. His unpretentious attire ostensibly suggested a humble background and nescience. He astounded everyone by walking up to Hunter and saying, “that’s Clair de Lune you’re playing right?” A hush fell over the room and Hunter stopped playing. They exchanged pleasantries and the stranger left soon afterwards. To this day, no one has been able to identify who he was. It was a sobering moment that this person knew the tune, while an overwhelming number of Saint Lucians would have been clueless. This prompted Hunter’s epiphany that what St. Lucia needed was a School of Music to enhance its education system.

Hunter being the consummate Renaissance man that he was, took immediate steps to bring his idea to fruition. He called together a meeting of friends, family and lovers of music and began to set out the framework for the school. He identified a location, a building at Tapion, (where the school is presently housed) which belonged to Dr. Owen King and solicited donations from various members of the community who provided instruments and assistance.

As the school’s enrolment started to grow, the maintenance became out of the reach of the founder members who hitherto had made monthly contributions to keep it going. Hunter therefore approached then Prime Minister, Sir John Compton, who had in his youth been a student of the violin and therefore understood the importance of a St. Lucia School of Music. At that time there was not another music school in any of the English speaking Caribbean save Jamaica. Sir John hastened to seek government’s approval for an annual subvention and subsequently purchased the building on behalf of the school. To date the school remains a government assisted school and has grown to an enrolment of approximately 500 students. It has achieved some of the best results at the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) in England and boasts a number of ensembles viz a string orchestra, wind band , folk and jazz bands.