August 12, 2002
Contact: Kanchan Paser
Tel: 212-963-0343
Fax: 212-963-1395
e-mail: kanchan@sunshineawards.com
For Immediate Release
SUNSHINE AWARDS TO HONOR
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO'S BOSCOE HOLDER
Teaneck, New Jersey, USA, August 12, 2002….The SUNSHINE Awards™
organization today issued the following statement:
At the Fourteenth Annual SUNSHINE Awards, which will take place on Saturday,
October 26, 2002 at the New York's Pennsylvania Penntop Ballroom, the remarkable
multi-talented Boscoe Holder from Trinidad & Tobago, will be honored with a
SUNSHINE Awards Special Recognition Award for his outstanding contribution to
the art forms and cultural heritage of the Caribbean.
Boscoe Holder has been a tremendous creative force for more than 50 years.
Having won international acclaim as a painter, dancer, costume designer,
choreographer and pianist, he can truly be considered the consummate Renaissance
man. A naturally gifted individual, he is self-taught in all these artistic
disciplines, each of which has been impacted by his creative genius.
By age five Boscoe was already showing a keen interest in art, and his
natural ability quickly developed in style and artistry, bringing early
recognition for his extraordinary artistic talent. His beautiful portrayal of
the human form soon gained tremendous popularity and it wasn't long before he
caught the attention of several art patrons and before his work was being shown
regularly at exhibitions held by the Trinidad Art Society.
Boscoe's development as an artist was greatly influenced by his exposure to the
confidence and poise of Martiniquan Creole society when he visited his mother's
birthplace, Martinique, in 1946. It gave him a deeper appreciation for the
aesthetic of Afro-Caribbean color, form and music, and for the richness and
subtleties of color and shades, which became more evident in his paintings, and
which led to the development of his own distinguished and unique style as a
painter.
At the same time that he was developing as a painter, Boscoe Holder was also
demonstrating his amazing skill as a pianist. He had been blessed with the
perfect ear for music and the ability to play from memory. By age nine, he was
already playing professionally. When the Americans established their base at
Chaguaramas, it wasn't long before he became a minor celebrity, having his own
program, Piano Ramblings, on the U.S. Naval Armed Forces Radio Station.
Boscoe Holder's love of the Arts was not limited to painting and the piano.
Dance has also been one of his artistic expressions. Drawing from the dance
forms of Afro-Caribbean traditional dances, he developed his own unique style of
dance, one which retained its indigenous quality but which was also readily
recognized for its innovativeness. Not only was he making a name for himself as
a superb dancer and choreographer, but he was also demonstrating a remarkable
talent as a costume designer, once again drawing on his sensitivity to the rich,
warm and vibrant colors of the Caribbean. Boscoe's influence as a dancer,
choreographer and costume designer is still evident today and can be seen in the
work of many Afro-Caribbean and Afro-American dancers and choreographers,
including that of his brother, well-known dancer, choreographer and actor,
Geoffrey Holder.
Boscoe Holder moved to New York in 1947 and quickly became part of New York's
cultural scene, teaching, playing the piano and dancing with his company of
dancers, the Boscoe Holder Dancers. All his artistic endeavors met with great
success and he soon became quite popular with many of the then big names in show
business.
In 1950, he traveled to London, which would be his home for the next twenty
years, and where his creative dynamism would bring him well-deserved public
acclaim. Boscoe Holder and his Caribbean Dancers, with his wife, Sheila, as lead
dancer, were soon performing in all of the elite clubs and theatres, to
audiences, which included Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.
In 1953, the company performed before Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation.
In 1955, Boscoe and his wife appeared for a second time before Queen Elizabeth
II at a Command Performance. In 1966, they were among the eighteen guests
invited to dine with the Queen and Prince Philip in honour of Her Majesty's
forthcoming visit to Trinidad and Tobago. Boscoe Holder and his Caribbean
Dancers had numerous appearances in several cabarets, theatre clubs, television
shows and films. They also had many successful tours throughout Europe, Egypt
and in the Caribbean.
Boscoe Holder was the producer, choreographer and costume designer for the
floorshow at the prestigious May Fair Hotel, where under his direction, his
band, The Pinkerton Boys, also performed. As an individual artiste, he has
performed on numerous radio programs, has had many appearances on television and
in film, and has hosted his own television show (Bal Creole) on BBC TV. He has
also performed with Josephine Baker.
Boscoe introduced the steelband to London audiences when he and his wife,
Sheila, played the steel pan in some of their acts. In 1951, when TASPO (The All
Steel Percussion Orchestra) visited England, they performed with him at the
Savoy and Watergate Theatre.
Wherever he danced, there was an exhibition of his work He has exhibited at
the Trafford Gallery, The Redfern Gallery, the Commonwealth Institute in London
and the Castle Museum in Nottingham. He has also exhibited at the Martel
Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, held at the Royal Water Color
Society Galleries. The Leicester Galleries bought two of his paintings for their
permanent collection. In 1981, Sir Ellis Clarke, former President of the
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, presented Prince Charles and Lady Diana with
one of his paintings as a wedding gift from the Republic.
Since Boscoe Holder's return home to Trinidad in 1970, he has concentrated
mainly on his painting, and has exhibited in Puerto Rico, Cannes, Curaçao, the
Bahamas, Martinique, Guyana and Jamaica. In 1987 he held a one-man exhibition in
Toronto at the Metro Convention Center. That same year, he celebrated, in Port
of Spain, his 50th anniversary as a professional painter. In 1988, the
Venezuelan Embassy in Port-of-Spain hosted a retrospective of his paintings
(1930's - 1988). His work has also been shown in the United States. To celebrate
the millennium, Boscoe Holder established his own studio/gallery next door to
his home in Port of Spain.
The Government of Trinidad & Tobago awarded him the Hummingbird Gold
Medal and named a street in his honour in 1973. In 1978 he was the recipient of
Venezuela's highest decoration, the Order of Francisco de Miranda. Together with
his brother, Geoffrey, he received an award from the International Voluntary
Service in Washington, D.C. for his contribution to the Arts in the Caribbean,
and Washington's Mayor declared May 22, 1983, Boscoe Holder and Geoffrey Holder
Day.
In announcing Boscoe Holder's nomination for the Fourteenth Annual SUNSHINE
Awards Special Recognition Award, Gil Figaro, Sr., founder and chairman of the
SUNSHINE Awards commented, "Boscoe Holder's name is one that should be
known throughout the Caribbean. He can truly be considered a Caribbean treasure
because of his tremendous contribution to our art forms and the lasting impact
he has made on our culture. He has given us so much through his music, his
dancing and choreography and his exquisite paintings. His nomination for this
Award is most deserving."
Ms. Gail Guy, Deputy Consul-General of Trinidad & Tobago, reacting to the
news of his nomination said, "Well deserved! Boscoe Holder is an
outstanding artist with a superior body of work that really needs to be shown
abroad."
When contacted in New York, his brother, Geoffrey Holder, said, "It is
long deserved. He has been my mentor and the mentor for the majority of artistes
coming out of Trinidad and out of the Caribbean. He is a Caribbean
original."
Boscoe Holder, on being informed of his nomination, said, "I am very
grateful, especially as this award comes from the Caribbean region. I have
always worked for the Caribbean as a whole, and not just as a Trinidadian. I
consider this as pay-back from the Caribbean."
The Fourteenth Annual SUNSHINE Awards will take place on Saturday, October 26
at the New York's Hotel Pennsylvania, directly across from Madison Square
Garden. It is sponsored in part by Hennessey, Angostura International Ltd.,
Colonial Life Insurance, Trinidad Ltd., New York Carib News, Air Jamaica Ltd,
Calypsocity and the Immigrant Journal.
Ticket information is available on www.sunshineawards.com
