Laurice Barnaby (left) and Rafael Salazar in performance at Laurice and Friends at Church of the Ascension. - photos by Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Music by many different instruments and of several genres was offered to, and appreciatively accepted by lovers of the art form, at the Church of the Ascension, Mona, on Sunday evening.

Entertaining the audience, which included patrons, Dr Alfred Reid and Mrs Reid and which filled the seating area usually allocated for performances, were seven musicians and a dancer billed 'Laurice and Friends'.

Organised by flautist, Laurice Barnaby, the concert was, in her words, "a celebration of friendship forged through music and of God's gifts of talent and creativity. It is also an opportunity to give back to Him in some small measure."

The 'giving back' referred in part to the fact that the proceeds of the concert were to go to the church's Music Ministry, which currently comprises the Ascension Steel Orchestra, Hand-bell Choir, Chorale, Ascension Drummers and dancers. Formerly part of the Music Ministry were two of the concert performers, organist, Dwight McBean and pianist, Dean Taylor.

Teenage drummer

Other performers were soprano, Lori Bennett, pianist, Stephen Shaw-Naar, clarinettist, Rafael Salazar, dancer, Loraine Barnaby (sister of Laurice) and a teenage girl representing the Ascension Drummers. The teen played her own four-minute composition on congo drums and was heartily applauded.

An original item was also contributed by Taylor. His impromptu Number One in B Flat Minor was a two-and-a-half-minute, bright, fairly complex piano piece with a strong ending. With it, Taylor showed he has strengths both as player and composer.

Earlier, he had powerfully demonstrated the former skill with Bach's Prelude and Fugue Number Two in C and a Beethoven sonata.

The two-hour long concert began with Laurice on flute playing a short, meditative Debussy piece, Syrinx.

Perfectly controlled voice

Soprano Lori Burnett

Burnett, accompanied by Shaw-Naar, then showed why she is such a respected and loved singer. With her crystal-clear, flexible and perfectly controlled voice, she interpreted a rather solemn Richard Strauss song, which, translated (according to the MC, Pierre Lemaire) means 'All Fool's Day', and Schubert's more cheerful Der Hirt auf dem Felsen.

In the latter item, the pianist was joined for the accompaniment by Salazar, whose clarinet playing never seems less than sublime. Certainly, he and Shaw-Naar later provided one of the highlights of the evening, when they combined instruments for Alamiro Giampieri's Il Carnevale di Venezia.

The melody-filled, celebratory piece evoked images of a carnival and rightly earned two rounds of applause.

Laurice returned to join Shaw-Naar and Salazar for the final items before the intermission, a short, gentle piece from Bizet's opera Carmen and the cheerful Henry Bishop tune Lo! Here the Gentle Lark.

McBean opened the second half of the programme with two strong German works (including one used for the hymn Good Christian Men Rejoice). Later, Loraine Barnaby performed, on points, a little ballet number portraying a swan.

Burnett returned to delight with a spiritual, Ain't That Good News, and Barnaby and Shaw-Naar ended the pleasant concert with the popular Jamaican tune Evening Time and even more popular (worldwide) Pink Panther Theme (Mancini).

Early in the concert, the MC opined, "Laurice has such talented friends." Their performances proved him correct.

Pianist Stephen Shaw-Naar delighted the audience with a rendition of the Pink Panther theme.