Neicy Tribbett addressing the audience at yesterday’s SIGNIA Development Workshop & Artistes Showcase.
Singer, A’leithia Sweeting, ministering before the start of Saturday’s SIGNIA Development Workshop & Artistes Showcase.
A section of the audience in attendance and listening closely to what was being said during yesterday’s SIGNIA Development Workshop & Artistes Showcase.
Gospelfest receives praise
EXECUTIVE Producer of Barbados Gospelfest, Adrian Agard, has given this year’s event two thumbs up thus far.
The nine-day festival comes to an end today. One of the featured events on the calendar has been the SIGNIA Development Workshop & Artistes Showcase. It was at this event yesterday that Agard spoke with The Barbados Advocate.
“It has just been phenomenal. It has been a really wonderful experience. We have had some great support from our sponsor partners, in terms of assisting us to produce a quality festival. The audiences have been very, very engaging.”
During yesterday’s event, those in attendance at Divi Southwinds were treated to informative presentations by Neicy Tribbett and A’leithia Sweeting. There was also an opportunity for six artistes to showcase their talents for a chance to perform at today’s Flow One Awesome Day.
Agard said that the attendance on this occasion to the SIGNIA Development Workshop & Artistes Showcase was “about the same as last year”. He added that having a workshop during the festival was important, because it gave local gospel performers an opportunity to “glean a bit” from the experiences and knowledge of the visiting singers or presenters.
Agard also said there is room for more artistes’ development workshops locally. However, he pointed to a need for greater participation by local artistes.
“There is a saying... you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. You can provide a lot of things for people. If they are not interested in learning or they feel that they have arrived, they have it covered, there is no need to come out to hear anyone, but no matter how old you get, you are always learning.
“So yes, more can be done, but I’ve seen many things put on. I have seen things at a national level, the [National Cultural Foundation] NCF would do things. You go to them, [but] you don’t see the people, you really don’t. So that is just the way it is, you can just put things there for people, but then they don’t always access [it] in the way that you expect.” (MG)