Pianist Francis Reneau’s “A Hymn to Belize”

Musical icon, Francis Reneau, is in the Jewel for the nation’s thirtieth Independence Anniversary celebration.  Reneau has composed a music piece called ‘A Hymn to Belize’ which will be performed at the Independence Day ceremony in Belmopan later this month. He will also be staging one of his biggest concerts accompanied by friends and students of his summer program. The acclaimed composer spoke with News Five today about his latest masterpiece to pay tribute to Belize.

Francis Reneau, Composer

“It’s my tribute to Belize and I expect from the words, all Belizeans to should partake in the tremendous acclamation of Belize of our country that we love and are loyal to. It’s essentially a very quite a majestic work, it’s called, first of all for quite a very big orchestra, including flutes, clarinets, oboes, French horns, timpani, all the string sections, violins, cellos, and bases and of course possible around seventy to eighty voices. This, the choir has been collected from Belize and other parts of the country as well.  It’s a united effort which the actual ‘Hymn to Belize’ talks about, one in strength, one in unity.

Francis Reneau

This particular work talks mainly about Belize, it says, ‘ I pledge to thee my country, my love and loyalty I give, land of my birth, my home, deep in my heart you live’ and you know it’s very, very passionate about love for my country and  I think all of our love for our country. So in that sense I am really looking forward to it because it’s the first time anything like that would’ve been done here, the first time that I’ve come back with anything like that as well. This is mainly a yearly event that I do. I have the master classes that I do with the children and at the end of that we have a concert where what they have done in the classes we exhibit on stage in the concert. Plus I have a few, with reference to friends, Richard Pitts who is playing the saxophone and I have Samantha Smith who is one of the students as well. She also plays the violin and she also is a very good pianist, so she will be playing both of those instruments not together of course. She is playing some pieces that I wrote for her on the piano.  The Belize Chorale Society also helping and they’re joining in as well.”

Francis & Friends Concert takes place on Friday September second at eighth p.m. at The Bliss.