We’ve got some wonderful news to share: the multi-talented Aliyah Ramatally, who has sung with both the youth and senior chorales and is currently studying at Durham University, is a finalist for the Commonwealth International Composition Award. The award is presented in partnership with Commonwealth Resounds, Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and Purcell School for Young Musicians, and was designed to encourage and promote composition by young people around the world. The other finalists selected are from Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Antigua & Barbuda, and Bahrain.
Aliyah submitted her piece, Jive of the Jumbie (written for flute, steelpan, trombone, viola and double bass) in July 2019, just a month after we returned from singing at Carnegie Hall, and was selected as one of the 10 finalists for the award in September 2019. As a finalist, she was given one month to compose a new piece, Mundo Nuevo — New World (written for flute, steelpan, violin, cello and djembe). It has since been recorded (with the steelpan part played by xylophone). In addition to the adjudication of the award, there will be an audience vote, which is open until 1pm on Tuesday.
The pieces of all 10 finalists including Mundo Nuevo will be performed and adjudicated upon at The Princess Alexandria Hall, Royal Overseas League, London on Tuesday 14th January 2020 at 1:45pm Trinidad & Tobago time, which will be streamed via YouTube.
Click here to vote for Aliyah!
Voting for the audience vote is now open and will close at 1pm (Trinidad time) on Tuesday 14th January 2020.
More about Aliyah
Aliyah Ramatally was the recipient of the 2016 Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival Adjudicator’s Award for Most Outstanding Junior Performer, having competed successfully in various classes including voice (solo, duet and trio), piano, composition, classical and calypso choir. Aliyah was also named in the top 10 Merit List for the 2016 CSEC Music Examination.
From an early age, Aliyah demonstrated a keen interest in composition which mushroomed after she attended an international music course in the United Kingdom in 2014. Aliyah’s strong love for nature and Caribbean culture serves as an inspiration for her music. She has composed string quartets (two violins, viola and cello): Grande Riviere Sunrise, Midnight over Mayaro, Treading into the Abyss, Bees and the Wasp, and most recently, Jive of the Jumbie for flute, steelpan, trombone, viola and double bass.
As a member of the Oratory Foundation she has had the benefit of training in drama, poetry-writing and performance. She is an avid environmentalist. She volunteers at the Pointe-a-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust, and through many projects was enlisted as an environmental ambassador.
Aliyah is a member of the Marionettes Chorale. She has had the privilege of performing with them at Carnegie Hall on the invitation of the Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) in their June 2019 production of Christopher Tin’s Calling all Dawns. Aliyah is a graduate of Naparima Girls’ High School where she successfully completed the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics with distinction and has recently enrolled in university in the United Kingdom.
