Pianist holds workshop for young musicians

Today aspiring musicians from high schools across Belize City got a glimpse of what it takes to be a composer. The lessons came courtesy of Belizean born British artist Errollyn Wallen, who has been playing the piano since she was nine. According to Wallen, the idea is to show the students how to tap into their creativity.

Errollyn Wallen, Composer
“The workshop that I have been leading today is to demonstrate how we can made music happen instantly and how to be a composer is not to be somebody living in an ivory tower, but we can create music from sounds around us very quickly and also how much talent there is in Belize. These are young musicians still learning their instruments, but able to use their imagination not playing from pieces of music, but making up their own music.”

“Composing is playing with patterns and sounds and that you can make music from anything, so in our case it was just showing how you can, using phrases, the rhythm of your own name, you can make a whole piece.”

Wallen is in Belize to perform at a fundraising concert to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Hand in Hand Ministries. She told us what Belizeans can expect if they show up at the Bliss on Saturday.

Errollyn Wallen
“I will be performing with a steel pan ensemble, also choirs are here. Basically we are sort of showcasing the young talent in Belize, as well as I will be performing some of my songs, which is a real privilege for me to do. I was born Belize but I left as a baby, so this feels great to be giving something back.”

Tickets for Saturday’s concert are available at Hand in Hand’s North Front Street office or at the Bliss for sixty dollars premier and twenty-five dollars general. Showtime is seven p.m.