Saint Lucian musician, educator, and cultural activist, Denise Joyce Auguste has passed away.
A former music teacher of the Marchand Boys Choir, Auguste, was an award winning leader of The Hewanorra Voices, one of the most popular Saint Lucian folk bands in the 1970s.
Auguste also worked as music supervisor for the Saint Lucian school system, introducing during her tenure, folk music into the school’s curriculum. She also coordinated music workshops for teachers in Dominica and served as a music tutor for the Organization for Cooperation Overseas Development workshops in Winnipeg, Canada.
She published several articles on the folk music and traditions of St. Lucia and released a compilation of songs by the late Sessenne Descarte. She was the recipient of numerous awards throughout the years for her outstanding contribution to St. Lucia’s musical culture. She was named a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and one of the most Outstanding Women of the twentieth century by the Organisation of American States.