Sumfest gives $250,000 to boys, girl band

Western Bureau:

In recognition of its understanding of the importance of developing local music and musicians, Summerfest Production Limited, the promoters of Reggae Sumfest, has donated $250,000 to the Montego Bay Boys' and Girls' Club Marching Band.

The donation was made on Wednesday night at the IberoStar Resorts in Rose Hall, St James, during the western Jamaica launch of Reggae Sumfest 2016.

Joe Bogdanovich, the CEO of Downsounds Records, the new chairman of Summerfest Productions, noted that the 51-year-old Montego Bay Boys' and Girls' Club has been instrumental in nurturing talents and sounds that have gone on to become popular both at the local and international level.

David Earl, programmes director at the Montego Bay Boys' and Girls' Club, who was on hand to collect the quarter million dollar cheque, thanked Summerfest Production for the continued support, which has been ongoing over recent years.

Earl told The Star that the funds will go a far way in securing much-needed instruments as well as to hire additional music teachers for the band, which is the club's main source of income.

The programmes director noted that, despite some challenges the institution continues to make a difference in the lives of these youngsters, 30 of whom makes up the award winning marching band.

While making an address at the launch, Bogdanovich reinforced the organiser's' decision to make major changes to the 2016 festival which runs from July 17 to 23. "People wonder why there will be no international acts this year and the festival is reduced to two nights. I hear these questions over and over again, and I ask myself do, do Jamaicans not know that their music is popular, revered and loved all over the globe," explained Bogdanovich.

Bogdanovich said acts like Super Cat, Busy Signal, Tarrus Riley, Barrington Levy and Sanchez are some of Jamaicans major acts who are to pull massive crowds at overseas music festival. "We are talking about top international Jamaican acts that fill large concert hall festivals in the stadiums all over the world," Bogdanovich said.

In addition, Bogdanovich said the 2016 staging of Reggae Sumfest will be live-streamed in 360-virtual-reality with a target audience of 50 million people.