Gretta Taylor
Artistic & Musical Director • Conductor • Board of Directors
Gretta Taylor (MA, DipEd., HBM Gold) joined the Chorale in 1965, soon after its formation, and was appointed conductor in 1974. With a strong commitment to public and community service, she has served the choir in an entirely volunteer capacity for over four decades. She has brought great choral music to audiences across the country, and has carried the Trinidad and Tobago flag on award-winning international tours with the Marionettes to North and Central America, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Born in Trinidad, she is an accomplished pianist and a highly successful piano and vocal teacher. She has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, and a Diploma in Education from the University of the West Indies. In her personal capacity as a pianist, Gretta has won the Norah Grant Trophy and the Trinidad Guardian Cup on several occasions at the local biennial Music Festival. She has also completed musical and conducting courses at the Hereford Summer School of Music in London (1986) and the Talbot Lampson School for Choral Conductors & Accompanists in London (1986 & 1987), where she won the Richard Wood Award.
She taught languages (French and Spanish) from forms one to six at St. Joseph’s Convent in Port of Spain for 28 years prior to her retirement in 1994. There she also directed the school’s senior, intermediate and junior choirs for some 13 years, during which period the senior choir and its members consistently won top prizes in the biennial Music Festival for solo, ensemble and choral singing, including the prestigious Prime Minister Trophy for being the Most Outstanding Junior Choir of the festival. In 2004, she was inducted into the school’s Hall of Excellence. She also has been a coach and adviser to other young choirs such as Maria Regina Grade School and Sacred Heart Girls’ primary, and a judge for contests ranging from Calypso Monarch to Express Individual of the Year.
Gretta has developed and extended the Marionettes’ range and repertoire substantially in four decades as musical director. Under her leadership, the choir has tackled with great success major choral works never before performed in the Caribbean, often in a contemporary idiom unfamiliar to Caribbean audiences, and despite the absence of a conventional western orchestra.
They include Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, David Fanshawe’s African Sanctus, and Karl Jenkins’s The Armed Man with its challenging technological demands, syncing the live music to a pre-recorded film. She also co-directed the group’s 2011 production of Carmen. Her rigorous choral training and high professional standards have made the Marionettes one of the most respected performing groups in the Caribbean.
Since 1974, Gretta has produced and directed at least two full-scale musical productions a year, each running for up to six nights and often with elaborate costumes, dance and sets, as well as countless other concert appearances and five demanding overseas tours. She founded and directs the Marionettes Youth Chorale and Children’s Choir, and has worked with a range of secondary and primary school choirs in Trinidad.
Gretta is a member of the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and has attended its biennial conventions since 1993. She received a national award in 1990 (the Humming Bird Medal — Gold) for her outstanding services to music and culture in Trinidad and Tobago, and a special City Day Mayoral Award in 2018 for her contribution to culture.
“We are extremely proud of our calypso and steelband traditions, and regularly adapt them for the choir. But we also want to show international audiences the vast range of talents and traditions that we have in the Caribbean. We want to move audiences with classic choral music as well as making their feet tap with our own traditional music, and do both equally well in the same programme.
Our top priority is to do good music of every kind, and to do it as well as we possibly can, because we believe in it, and because good music can speak to us all in a profound way if we take the trouble to listen.”
– Gretta Taylor
Joanne Mendes
Consulting Production Manager • Board of Directors
An enthusiastic and talented musician, Mendes trained for many years as a singer under the late Daphne Clifford. She competed successfully in many Music Festivals, both as a chorister and a soloist. Among her favourite singers are Grammy-award winning soprano Leontyne Price and mezzo-soprano Janet Baker. Her talents are not only musical, however, and Mendes has also shown a flair for the Carnival arts, helping out for several years in legendary masman Wayne Berkley’s mas camp. Joanne worked at AS Bryden and Geddes Grant/Huggins before co-founding Media & Editorial Projects (MEP). Like the rest of the choir’s production and artistic teams, she serves the group in an entirely volunteer capacity.Joanne Mendes is one of the few remaining singers from the original group of Marionettes which debuted in 1964. She has been the Marionettes’ secretary since 1974, when she, Gretta and Susan assumed leadership of the choir. In addition to singing, she ensures that the various rehearsal and performance venues are booked and ready to go; keeps up-to-date membership and attendance lists; manages the choir’s finances and fundraising; liaises with long-time sponsors, bpTT; and does it all by meticulous advanced planning. As showtime nears, she also co-ordinates ticket distribution (delivering some personally), and oversees the show’s production elements alongside Jacqueline Smith.
Caroline Taylor
Assistant Artistic Director • Board of Directors
Winner of both a National Scholarship and a Commonwealth Scholarship, she has a BA in Performance Studies from Williams College and an MA in Theatre & Performance from Goldsmiths, University of London, and also completed short courses at the Lee Strasberg Film & Theatre Institute, New York University, and Trinity/La MaMa Experimental Theatre Company in New York, USA; the University of Oxford in England; and with the British Council.
Stage credits with Williamstheatre (MA, USA) include the title role in Euripides’ Medea, as well as Euripides’ The Bacchae, Chekhov’s The Seagull, and Stacy Cochran’s Prostitutes. Stage credits in Trinidad and the UK include Tony Hall/David Rudder’s Brand New Lucky Diamond Horseshoe Club; 3canal’s SHINE; Geraldine Connor’s Carnival Messiah; as well as various comedies and dramedies produced and directed by Richard Ragoobarsingh and Raymond Choo Kong. Her solo show Pack Light also played at the New York International Fringe Festival. As a producer and writer, she has worked on the CNMG/TTT series Iere Vibe, helmed by the late Danielle Dieffenthaller, on the Women in Pan web series and Panyard Universe film from Maria Nunes and the late Mark Loquan (ORTT), and on various documentaries and performance broadcasts with the Marionettes.
Outside of the performing arts, Caroline works in book and magazine publishing. She serves as editor for Caribbean Beat and Discover Trinidad & Tobago magazines, and has freelanced with a range of publications, from National Geographic to the The Guardian (UK).
Jacqueline Smith
Production Manager
Jacqueline began singing seriously as a member of the St. Francois champion choir under Laura Franklin, and has been a member of the Marionettes for nearly 30 years — as a chorister, member of the Committee, Assistant Production Manager (2011–2018) and Production Manager (2018–present).
At the T&T Music Festival, she has won the Mayor’s Cup for Best Adult Solo (1999 & 2002); the Gatcliffe Cup for Best Oratorio (2002 & 2004); the ffrench Trophy for Most Outstanding Performer (1999); and the Jean Abdool Memorial Trophy for Most Outstanding Vocalist (2002). In addition to music, Jacqueline was a dancer with the Astor Johnson’s Repertory Dance Theatre (1983–1987), where she was exposed to folk, contemporary and jazz styles; and performed in Limin’ by Godfrey Sealey, and The Mall Story.
Susan Dore
Board of Directors
Susan David Dore was born into a family rich in musical tradition, and has been involved with the Marionettes almost since its formation. By age 15, Susan had completed all the Royal School of Music Examinations to Grade VIII, most of them with Distinction. A product of St Theresa’s Intermediate School in Woodbrook, she began and ended her working life with Republic Bank, from which she retired in 2002 as General Manager, Human Resources after 38 years of unbroken service.
She grew up musically in the T&T Music Festival from its earliest days at the Roxy Cinema and the Victoria Institute (part of the Museum complex), and finally at the Queen’s Hall where in her final years of competition she partnered her long-time friend and colleague Gretta Taylor, winning piano duet and duo classes as well as the respective championships. She was invited to assist the Marionettes as accompanist in 1965, then auditioned as a singer and stayed on, becoming a fixture in the alto section. When Jocelyn became ill and eventually departed in the 1970s and Gretta took over the musical leadership of the Marionettes, Susan became the Assistant Musical Director, a role she maintained for over 35 years before retiring in 2011. She now continues to volunteer her time to the group on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors.
Halcyon Yorke-Young
Chair, Board of Directors
Justice Yorke-Young has been a member of the Judiciary of Trinidad & Tobago for over 25 years, serving first as a magistrate presiding on family matters in districts across the islands; as a master at both the Children’s and Family courts; and currently as a puisne judge in the Family Court Tobago. She is a member of two international family law organisations, is a certified mediator for both family and civil matters, and the holder of a Masters Degree (Merit) in Family Law. Halcyon is the mother of one daughter and two sons and enjoys reading and singing in her free time. She has been a member of the Marionettes Chorale for nearly three decades, and is active in her church community as a lector, Eucharistic Minister, and Catechist for the Children’s Liturgy. She has also been a part of the Mentorship Team for the School Outreach Programme at Nelson Street Girls RC School for several years. Justice Yorke-Young recently completed Level 9 in Sign Language with SLITTI, and hopes to use those skills for the benefit of her community.
Nigel Floyd
Secretary, Board of Directors
Nigel started his singing career under the guidance and tutelage of the late Holitzia Seecharan-Lawrence and has been a longstanding member of the Marionettes Chorale since the mid-1990s, touring extensively with the choir during their visits to the United States in 1997 and to Costa Rica in 2004. He has featured as a soloist in genres ranging from Broadway, to classical, gospel, spirituals and calypso. Nigel entered the Music Festival series of 2002 where he won the Norman Phillip Cup as the Most Outstanding Tenor of the Festival. He has featured in the tenor roles of Mingo in the Living Arts Foundation Caribbean premiere of Porgy and Bess (2005); the role of Ferrando in Così fan tutte, produced by the Key Academy of Music (2007); as well as the roles of Don José and Valjean in the Marionettes Chorale productions of Carmen (2011) and Les Misérables (2014 & 2015). Nigel holds a Grade V Certification in Voice (With Merit) from the Royal Schools of Music. Nigel is an Attorney-at-Law with a Master’s in Law from the University of Staffordshire.
Dr. Nathan Nagir
Guest Conductor (2025 & 2026 seasons)
Born in Trinidad, Nathan Nagir teaches undergraduate courses in Conducting and Music Appreciation, as well as graduate courses in Choral Literature, and directs choral ensembles at the Texas State University School of Music. Dr. Nagir previously served as the Director of Choral Studies at Wright State University, where he led the graduate Choral Conducting programme and taught courses in Conducting, Music History, Choral Music Education Methods, Choral Literature, and Applied Conducting. He conducted the Tenor-Bass Chorus, University Singers, and the premier choral ensemble, Collegiate Chorale.
A T&T native, Dr. Nagir is a sought-after conductor, accompanist, vocalist, and educator. He has led numerous children’s, youth, and adult ensembles to success in national competitions and has worked extensively with primary and secondary schools. His choir, Harmonies Aloud, performed for various state functions, including at the Diplomatic Centre and the Office of the Prime Minister. Dr. Nagir holds a Certificate in Steelpan Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of the West Indies, a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Texas State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Maegan McGrane
Musicians Collective • Management Committee
Maegan is a Trinbagonian mezzo-soprano with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Music from SUNY Plattsburgh; a Master’s in Vocal Performance from Bowling Green State University; and a Doctorate of Arts in Music from Ball State University.
Enrique Ali
Senior Accompanist & Repetiteur
Enrique Ali earned his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at New York University, where he studied with pianist Edgar Roberts and composer Justin Dello Joio. He later pursued graduate studies with pianist Warren Jones (Vocal Coaching and Accompanying) and violinist Charles Stegeman (Chamber Music) at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Enrique has participated in master classes with pianist Dalton Baldwin at the Academie d’Été in Nice, France, specialising in French Art Song Interpretation and Accompanying.
He is the founder and director of the chamber vocal ensemble Pro Musica, as well as co-founder (with soprano Fritz Nothnagel-Gurley) of the Classics at Twilight series of open-air concerts held for many years in Blue Range. He directs the all-male choir The Diamond Chorale, and has worked with the Marionettes since the 1980s. In 1998, he was the recipient of the President’s Award for Creativity and Excellence in the Performing Arts in Trinidad and Tobago.
Khadija Huggins
Arranger • Musicians Collective
Khadija likes to refer to herself as a scientific musician as her two passions in life are music and science. She holds a master’s degree in Molecular Medical Microbiology from the University of Nottingham in the UK and works as a Laboratory Quality Manager but fills most of her free time with musical activities.
Khadija has been singing with the Marionettes since 2017, before which she was a member of her university’s female choir. She has also performed locally in three operas (Dido and Aeneas, Cosi Fan Tutte and Tales of Hoffmann), and virtually with the Stay At Home Choir, based in the UK. Khadija is also a multi-instrumentalist who was formally trained in piano, guitar and violin and is self-taught in recorder, flute and cello. She sometimes uses her instruments to her advantage to escape dancing on stage with the choir by offering to play with the band. She recently discovered her ability to arrange choral music and has started writing arrangements for the Marionettes. Her first arrangement was performed in December 2022.
Joshua Joseph
Conductor • Musicians Collective
Joshua is thrilled to be working with the Marionettes Chorale again. No stranger to the stage, he has been performing since the tender age of three. An accomplished pannist, with a background in various musical styles and genres, he has performed alongside notable local acts such as Etienne Charles and the late Clive “Zanda” Alexander.
Joshua earned his Bachelor of Music from Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts and Cultural Enterprise Management from The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine. He is currently the music teacher and co-choir director at Maria Regina Grade School; his goal as an educator is to foster a safe and inclusive environment for creative exploration. Joshua also serves as a steelpan specialist and cultural commentator on TTT’s live coverage of the annual Panorama competition and broadcast.
Caryll Warner
Conductor • Musicians Collective
Caryll Warner is a music educator and performer from and based in Tobago who has directed and performed with both vocal and instrumental ensembles. She is a violinist who enjoys playing classical, contemporary and folk music. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in the Performing Arts with a specialisation in Music from the University of Trinidad and Tobago, and a Master of Arts in Music Education from Ball State University. She is a former member of the Trinidad and Tobago National Philharmonic Orchestra, the East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra, the Ball State Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir and she’s a longstanding member of Music Amateurs Choir. She is thrilled to be working with the Marionettes, and joins productions as her schedule permits.
Desmond Waithe (RIP)
Arranger-in-Residence (Caribbean & African Folk & Indigenous Music) • Conductor
Desmond Waithe was a profoundly accomplished musician and educator, with an unprecedented body of local and regional choral, folk, and steelband arrangements. An alum of Tunapuna Boys, Fatima College, and Mausica Teachers’ Training College, he is currently the Musical Director of the BP Renegades, having also served in that capacity with Exodus’ Exocubs. He enjoyed several successes with both orchestras at various music festivals in Trinidad and Tobago, France, Austria and more recently, Germany. He also taught in the Music Department of the University of Trinidad & Tobago (UTT) for over 10 years. The University conferred him with a posthumous honorary doctorate in 2022. Over the course of his life, Desmond worked with a wide range of adult and youth choirs—from Sacred Heart Girls to La Petite Musicale and his very own Stentor Chorale—for whom he did numerous choral arrangements. He began working with the Marionettes in 1980, when they commissioned him to adapt his celebrated steelband arrangement of Sparrow’s The Slave for the choir. He joined the choir the following year, and made several international tours with them as arranger, chorister, and cuatrista. He also frequently conducted arrangements for the Marionettes’ orchestra. In 1993, Desmond was awarded the Humming Bird Medal (silver) for Outstanding Contribution to Music in Trinidad & Tobago.
Sadly, Desmond passed away in April, 2022. His work lives on in and with us always.
