Pearle Christian (born 20 March 1955),
''Domnitjen Magazine'', Vol. 8, Issue 2. affectionately known as "Aunty Pearle", is a Dominican music educator, composer, choral music director, and cultural worker, who has been called "one of Dominica's greatest daughters". She was a senior officer in the Cultural Division of the Dominican Government for more than three decades, until 2015. Much of her work has been devoted to exploring the use of Caribbean folk culture as a source for creative expression. She is a niece of

Lemuel McPherson Christian Lemuel McPherson Christian Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (1913–2000) was a Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican music educator and composer, who wrote the music for "Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendour", the national ...

(1913–2000), composer of Dominica's national anthem " Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendour".

Early years and education

Pearle Christian was born in La Plaine, Dominica, to Muriel Christian (''née'' Mathew) and

Henckell Christian Henckell Lochinvar Christian MBE (1910 – 1998) was a Dominican politician from the Dominica Labour Party. Christian studied studied sociology at London University. He worked as a teacher and later as a social worker. Christian was elected to ...

(who served as Minister of Education and Health in the Dominica government). She was the third child in a family of four girls. At the age of seven she began learning to play the piano, tutored at the Christian Musical Class by her uncle L. M. Christian, and later studying with Rosemary Cools-Lartigue. Pearle was educated in Roseau at Convent Preparatory School, Convent High School and (from 1972 to 1974) Sixth Form College, and then worked as a teacher for two years at Convent Prep and Convent High Schools, while continuing her musical education and taking

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualification ...

examinations. She went on to attend (1976–80) the Jamaica School of Music (now

Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, formerly Jamaica School of Art and Crafts, is an art school in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1940, Edna Manley pioneered evening art classes at the Institute of Jamaica's Junior Centre but it was n ...

), Cultural Training Centre,

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

, where she earned a Diploma in Music Education. In her third year she was designated Best Third Year Student, and in her fourth and final year she won awards for Composition and Student of the Year."Pearle Christian: A Life of Musical Inspiration".
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Career

After graduating from the Jamaica School of Music, Kingston, Christian was invited to join the staff there, working as a teacher and Junior Choir director (1980–81), before returning to Dominica. In 1981, she was appointed Cultural Officer in the

Government of Dominica The politics of Dominica takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Dominica is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the govern ...

's Division of Culture, working in a senior position there until she retired in 2015.Ian Jackson
"A 'Pearl' in Dominica's culture: cultural stalwart Pearle Christian"
''The Sun'' (Dominica), 21 April 2015. Particularly involved with choral music over the years, she was the founding member and manager of the National Chorale for two decades, and sings with the Dominica Folk Singers, as well as with her church choir, the St Alphonsus Folk Choir, since her teens. She is also a flute teacher, director of the Junior Choir at Kairi School of Music, Roseau, and the director of the acclaimed Sixth Form Sisserou Singers, which was established in 1994 as a collaborative project between the Division of Culture and the then Sixth Form College. Christian has composed and staged several children's musicals, and has trained scores of students at the Kairi School of Music, where for 17 years she was a principal tutor. In 2000, she initiated the founding of the Dominica Association of Music Educators, which is "committed to advocating for every Dominican child regardless of race, colour, creed or economic status, to have an opportunity to participate fully in the beauty of music not simply as a listener, but also as a creator and performer of the art form." In 2001, she earned a master's degree in Music Education (General Music) from the University of Texas in

San Marcos, Texas San Marcos ( ) is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, as well. San Marcos is within the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area and on the Interstate 35 ...

. On her retirement in 2015, Christian said that her greatest achievement through the medium of music, choral and instrumental, was that she had been able to provide a "platform for the holistic development of many young people from diverse backgrounds". In 2016, she received the

Golden Drum Award The Golden Drum Award is the Commonwealth of Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, R ...

, Dominica's highest cultural honour, for Excellence in Music Education.

Selected works

Children's musicals

*1988: ''Ananse and Fire'' *1989: ''Song of the Sisserou'' (written in collaboration with Louis Bertrand) *1990: ''Ananse and the Pusher'' (written in collaboration with Louis Bertrand) *1991: ''Ananse and the Mirrors'' (written in collaboration with Louis Bertrand) *1992: ''Maruka'' (written in collaboration with Louis Bertrand) *1994: ''Mama Ella'' (written in collaboration with Louis Bertrand)

Children's mini-musicals

*2008: ''Befriending Ma Ziggily'' *2010: ''Ma Flora, Golden Keeper of the Savannah'' *2012: ''Mangolia the Mango Tree''

Publications

* ''Caribbean Adventure'', co-authored with Michael Burnett (a collection of Caribbean folk songs arranged for classroom ensemble), 1982. * ''Reggae Schooldays'' (a collection of original reggae songs for classroom ensemble), EMI Music Publishing, 1982. . * ''Sound Pack Vol. 4 — Four Caribbean Pop Songs arranged for Classroom Instruments'', 1984.

Awards

*1987: Certificate of Commendation (for work in music education), Music Lovers Government Band, Dominica *2008: Recognition for Outstanding Work in Arts and Culture, Dominica Academy of Arts and Science *2008: Meritorious Service Award (in field of culture), Government of Dominica, Roseau, Dominica *2010: LIME Creole Lifetime Achievement Award for service in the field of Cultural Development, LIME (Dominica Ltd) *2016:

, for Excellence in Music Education and Promotion of Choral Music *2017: ADNExUS Legends Award from the Association of Dominicans in the Northeast USA

References

External links

"Pearle Christian: A Life of Musical Inspiration"
2012. * Ian Jackson
"A 'Pearl' in Dominica's culture: cultural stalwart Pearle Christian"
''The Sun'' (Dominica), 21 April 2015.
"Shining the spotlight on Dominica’s Favourite Aunty, Aunty Pearle"
Q95FM, 23 October 2018.
"Pearle Christian"
Cultural Division, video interview. * Gizelle George-Joseph
"Caribbean Heroes: Pearle Christian – The Dominican Maestro"
''Dominica News Online'', 15 February 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Pearle Living people 1955 births 20th-century Dominica women singers 20th-century women composers 21st-century women composers Dominica composers Dominica music educators Dominica women music educators Texas State University alumni Women composers