BNYC set to drop Celebration Funk Medley video

Candice Dean Bostwick, an original Bahamas National Youth Choir (BNYC) singer, and Julian Bostwick, nephew of the late Cleophas Adderley, BNYC founder and director set the scene. The duo are introducing the younger generation to the old video of “Celebrate” an all-time fan favorite of BNYC fans and which is unofficially considered the choir’s national anthem, on a handheld device and reminiscing. Behind them, the BNYC’s new guard perform a thrilling twist to “Celebrate” which fuses into a tropical medley of songs, the Celebration Funk Medley, with the singles “Funky Soul Down in Abaco” and “Funky Nassau.”

From the opening beach scene, the video morphs into a party scene with choir members seamlessly flowing into the words of “Funky Soul Down in Abaco” penned by Patrick Swain and Garnet Stuart, used as the hook to bring in “Funky Nassau,” signaled by a whistle blast and rattle of a goatskin drum, with the new guard choir members transported to the city where they continue to deliver the funk to “Funky Nassau” the work of Ray Munnings and Tyrone Fitzgerald.

It’s this three-song compilation approximately three-minute long video that the BNYC is set to drop on January 31, in celebration of 30 years of the choir.

And it’s visually stunning!

“The BNYC has not released a music video of this magnitude since the 90s with the debut of ‘Celebrate’” said Dexter Fernander, BNYC director, who has brought another level of creativity to the choir with his out-of-the-box thoughts and efforts to merge the generations in order to bridge the gap and keep the culture alive.

Fernander said they opted not to remix “Celebrate” which was written and composed by Adderley, opting instead for a thrilling twist in the rendition, and fusing it into a tropical medley of songs.

“‘Celebrate’ already has a CD and so we did not want to duplicate it,” said the choir director. And he said Lazano Rolle did an amazing job meshing the three songs.

The BNYC video which is expected to drop on Sunday also includes element styles typically associated with historically black college and universities (HBCU) marching bands. Fernander said the element inclusions were intentional and a way to pay homage to the bands as many Bahamians have furthered their educations at HBCUs through participation in the bands and brought the flare home, which he said can be seen in the performances of local marching bands, and even in Junkanoo.

The dance choreography also showcased a meshing of styles from the choir’s original choreographers Robert Bain, National Dance Company; Carolyn Vogt-Evans and Le’Keisha Bostwick with current choreographer, Vernall Adderley.

The choristers are dressed in vibrant costumes they designed themselves, made with Batik fabric and a cape, mirroring those worn by HBCU majorettes, which Fernander said signals the royalty that they are and the excellence they always bring; and instead of a baton, they do a Junkanoo baton for the drumline they duplicated.

The video was recorded to all live music.

“We went into the studio with musicians who played.”

From conception to completion, Fernander said the video took approximately seven months taking into account the lockdowns and missed bookings due to the pandemic.

“I’m really proud that young Bahamians can come together and do the work,” said Fernander. “It gives me hope for the next generation. I’m proud we can still keep that culture alive and preserve it for a new generation.”

With the release of their video, Fernander said he wants people to realize culture is not dead and the pandemic did not stop anything.

“As an artist, you are pleased you have done what you were assigned to do. The joy of getting the work done was pleasing for me,” said Fernander a baritone and pianist who joined the choir in 1994. After pursuing postsecondary education, he was named assistant choir director in 2013 by Adderley, who died in July 2017. Fernander then stepped up to the role of interim director before he transitioned into director in fall 2019.

The BNYC is releasing the music video ahead of its spring album debut of “Island Celebration” – a compilation CD of 14 songs produced from 1983 to present.

The BNYC’s official three-decade anniversary was January 1, 2020. The choir was originally founded and directed by Adderley in 1983 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bahamian independence, but was re-established in 1990 after a years-long hiatus.

In 2020, the choir was set to begin celebrating its 30th Annual Concert season however many of the celebratory plans had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 global health crisis. This led the BNYC to engage their audiences with a selection of past performances and throwbacks of alumni enjoying the stage through various social media platforms.

And people have been sharing clips of the hit, “Celebrate” on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram acknowledging the nostalgia and reminiscing on what it felt like to be in the 90s after watching the 7 p.m. newscast on ZNS almost every other evening.

Within the last decade, the choir has presented Motown, the funk and groove of Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, the Wiz, and the Lion King Broadway featuring Junkanoo inspired costumes for its Broadway acts.

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