Les Petits Chanteurs (The Little Singers), the renowned boys’ choir of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Music School of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, explored Haiti’s rich musical heritage at an outdoor concert September 6 on the grounds of the Smithsonian Institution museum complex in Washington.
Accompanied by a seven-piece string ensemble from Port-au-Prince, the 30-voice choir — a select group of singers ranging in age from 8 to 18 — performed choral and instrumental works of Haitian folk and sacred music near the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art.
The choir’s visit to the Smithsonian is part of a national tour designed to draw attention to Haiti’s rebuilding efforts following the January 2010 earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation. Port-au-Prince’s Holy Trinity Cathedral and its music school were completely destroyed by the earthquake.
The group returned to the Smithsonian after a visit in 2011. “We are delighted to be hosting this wonderfully talented group of boys and young men at the National Museum of African Art,” said Johnnetta Betsch Cole, director of the museum.
The Holy Trinity Music School, which is currently being rebuilt, is the only school of its kind in Haiti and depends on charitable support to sustain its mission of education and music training for children and young adults.