WITH 19 years of unbroken support for the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival, BOSL continues to deepen its investment and commitment to the educational component of the festival.
This has been one of the key principles of BOSLs partnership over the last few years with Labowi Promotions, organizers of Jazz in the South where master-classes and workshops for aspiring young talents, were key components of the festival.
This year the programme was expanded to include, in addition to music, dance and the culinary arts. BOSLās support was a natural one, given the close alignment of the programme and the focus of Bankās Corporate Social Responsibility ā that of youth development.
The Culinary Arts Workshop took place on Tuesday, where over 150 students from Soufriere Comprehensive and Choiseul Secondary Schools, benefitted from the interactive sessions with award winning Jade Mountain Chefs Eli and Sherma.
In the area of music, 150 students benefitted from a music workshop with Venezuelan musician Miguel Siso at the Music Box in Rodney Bay and on Thursday over 300 students were present for a sound check and interactive session at the National Cultural Centre with world renowned pianists, AllainJn Marie.
Last year, BOSL partnered with the St. Lucia Tourist Board and the St. Lucia School of Music for the hosting of the BOSL Strings Workshop, facilitated by Alternative Quartet of Trinidad & Tobago. This led to one of the students being invited to perform with Alternative Quartet at Main Stage Jazz the following Friday.
BOSL views this support as a sound investment in a cadre of promising young people through the provision of enriching experiences ā to inspire, encourage and to build capacity for the next generation of home grown, international talent.