OVER the next four years, several students at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts will have the opportunity to benefit from a generous bursary established to honour Canada-based Jamaican Grace Lyons, founder of the Heritage Singers, which has been enriching cultural landscapes for over 40 years.

This bursary, valued at CDN $10,000, will be awarded to deserving students at the college’s School of Music and the School of Drama over the specified time frame. The Dennis Scott Studio Theatre at the Edna Manley College was brimming with life on February 10, as the launch event for the bursary drew nearly one hundred attendees, including friends and family members, some of whom travelled from Canada to be present.

The inception of this bursary was inspired by Lyons’ daughter, Lee-Anne Lyons-Bartley, who envisioned it as a meaningful tribute to her mother’s 75th birthday, as well as a heartfelt gesture from the Heritage Singers to give back to Jamaica and contribute to the preservation of Jamaican culture. She passionately urged other Jamaicans in the Diaspora to join in nurturing the cultural heritage of the island through similar acts of generosity.

In her touching remarks, Lyons-Bartley acknowledged her mother’s humility and inclination to shine the spotlight on others rather than seek recognition for herself. However, she emphasised the importance of honouring her mother’s legacy and the family’s ethos of service by establishing this bursary, which came as a surprise to Lyons herself, evoking an emotional response upon its unveiling.

Minister with responsibility for culture, Olivia Grange, underscored the significance of this initiative in her speech, highlighting the invaluable contribution it makes to the development and sustenance of Jamaica’s cultural landscape.

Representing the college, Vice-Principal for Administration and Resource Development Leighton Jones conveyed profound gratitude to the bursary donors, emphasising the transformative impact these funds will have on the recipients’ academic journeys. He emphasised the critical role such financial support plays in enabling talented individuals to pursue their studies at the college, particularly those facing financial constraints.

Lyons, visibly moved by the outpouring of support, expressed heartfelt appreciation to her friends and family for their contributions towards realising this meaningful opportunity for students at the Edna Manley College.

The Heritage Singers, under the visionary leadership of Grace Lyons, have been instrumental in promoting and preserving Caribbean folklore through their music for nearly five decades. Their dedication to cultural preservation was evident in the captivating performances at the launch event, which featured a diverse array of talents from the Nexus Performing Arts Company, Commander John McFarlane, The Pantomime Company, Haniffe Dias and Taquane Bowen of the School of Music, Joan Andrea Hutchinson, and the esteemed four-time festival song winner, Roy Rayon.

This bursary launch event not only celebrated the legacy of Grace Lyons and the Heritage Singers but also heralded a promising future for the recipients who will benefit from this generous support in pursuit of their artistic endeavours at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.