TWO weekends ago, local performance ensemble, Nexus, reaffirmed its artistic prowess which brought it a gold, silver and two bronze medals at the fifth World Choir Olympics held in Graz, Austria back in 2008.

The performing arts company which earned medals in all four events entered in Austria two years ago and placed 14th among 96 participating countries, gave a riveting start to its 2010 season at the Phillip Sherlock Centre for Creative Arts, UWI (Mona). It was a benefit concert put on by the St Catherine High School Alumni Association in association with the Class of ’76.

“This is the first year that St Catherine High Alumni is coming on board. The entire proceeds from this are towards some projects for the needy students at the school,” Nexus’ founder/director Hugh Douse told the Sunday Observer after his company’s awesome performance.

“We have been having these summer seasons for the last several years. What we are doing in association with Chase Fund is, a round-the-island tour at five venues. We are going to go to Port Antonio, Brown’s Town, Mandeville, MoBay and Savanna-la-mar,” the choir master added.

Nexus, in a wide-ranging performance, featured a blend of traditional melodies, vintage and contemporary classics which included Folk, the category in which it won golds in Austria; an inspirational revival, spiritual and gospel suite with the popular Take Me Back Dear Lord, the Noel Dexter’s arrangement of Bright Soul, I Am, Steal Away Home and Time For Every Season; as well as the popular music category and not to mention the Michael Jackson’s medley of Human Nature, Man In the Mirror among others; songs from South Africa including Miriam Makeba’s Pata Pata.

As if that was not entertaining enough, then came the comedy skit with the amusing ring game of A Brown Girl In the Ring in which all members of the cast in matching clothes and mannerism, revisited some childhood pranks.

And if that was funny, the skit called Mentally Disturbed, proved hilarious, since the interactive nature of the actors, like the name of their company implies, connected with the audience in a most dramatic and amusing fashion — who at times leave the stage to take their madness to patrons.

“The song Health Is On The Way, is actually our first single. The proceeds of that song, once we are able to solidly put it through iTunes — we have just settled it two weeks ago with Fr Holung — will go to his Missionaries of the Poor and the relief work that they are doing in Haiti for their earthquake victims,” the artistic director noted.

The Nexus Performing Arts Company of Jamaica was formed in 2001 by Hugh Douse, Artistic Director, a voice tutor at the Edna Manley College School of Music, singer, actor, conductor, songwriter, and Jamaica’s former Director of culture in education.

Within its first year, Nexus won several gold and silver medals in Jamaica’s National Music Festival, with National trophies in its Traditional Folk Music Category from its signature performance of The Revival.

More recently Nexus has performed with Foreigners Lou Gramm on the 2009 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, the Beres Hammond Moment In Time concert, the 2009 Jamaica Reggae Industry Awards, Jamaica’s National Honours and Awards investiture ceremony, the 2008 national independence and Olympics grand galas, the IAAF World Junior Championships opening ceremony, the Cricket World Cup 2007 opening ceremony, and the Actor Boy Awards.