Petronilla Deterville

Petronilla Deterville, MBE (14 May 1951-3 October 2010) was a St. Lucian musician and composer recognized for her work in founding youth music and theatrical groups. She was honored as a member of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to the development and preservation of St. Lucia's folk music, as well as her efforts to utilize the arts to expand educational opportunities.

Petronilla Deterville
Born
Marie Petronilla Deterville

(1951-05-14)14 May 1951
Died3 October 2010(2010-10-03) (aged 59)
NationalitySt. Lucian
Occupationmusic educator
Years active1981–2010

Early life

Marie Petronilla Deterville was born on 14 May 1951 in Anse La Raye, St. Lucia.[1][2] After completing her primary education, earned a teaching certificate from the St. Lucia Teacher's College and went on to pursue certification as a music teacher from the Jamaica School of Music.[3][4]

Career

In 1981, Deterville founded the "Cecilian Reys", a musical group from her home town, which aimed to expand opportunities for youth in the area.[5] The group, made up of children, learns and performs traditional St. Lucian folkmusic and musical theater. In 1992, she took the group to the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA), where they performed the folk musical, Tinday.[2] Determined to further her education, Deterville enrolled at the Catholic University of America, completing a bachelor's in music education in 1995 and her master's degree the following year.[6] In 1996, she developed the Anse La Raye Youth Orchestra, which had twenty-five musicians composed of strings, winds and drums.[7]

Deterville had strong dedication to the arts and saw participation as a means of keeping children interested in school, as well as their communities. She worked with the Ministry of Education from 1989 to 2008 as a curriculum development specialist and participated in cross-cultural programs studying the benefits of incorporating ethnic music and folklore into educational programs.[3][4][8] Deterville began an initiative in 2007 to involve at-risk youth in theater programs. Known as the Youth Studying Performing Arts and Culture (Youth SPAC) the initiative sponsored youth camps over the summer to introduce and involve students in the performing arts. Deterville and Kentilla Louis worked together to expand the program to produce productions year-round.[9] The following year, she produced Tribute to Charles Cadet with the "Cecilian Reys" to honor the work of the St. Lucian tenor.[2] In 2008, she became an education officer in the Ministry of Education, serving until her death.[4] That same year, she was honored as a member of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to music in St. Lucia.[10]

Death and legacy

Deterville died on 3 October 2010.[1] Upon Deterville's death, Gregory Piper took over her work with the Anse La Raye Youth Orchestra, completing her production of Sing de Chorus.[7] She was honored in 2016 with a special celebration held in honor of Nobel Laureate Week dedicated to her life. The "Cecilian Reys" performed Life in the Village a two-hour musical that Deterville had conceptualized.[5]

References

Citations
  1. St Lucia Heroes Associates 2013.
  2. Lee 2010.
  3. Fundación de Etnomusicología y Folklore 1992, p. 83.
  4. UNESCO 2008.
  5. Bishop 2016.
  6. Catholic University of America 1997, p. 81.
  7. National Review 2011, p. 8.
  8. UNESCO 2010.
  9. The Star 2017.
  10. The Independent 2008.

Bibliography
  • Bishop, Stan (19 January 2016). "Petronilla Deterville's Work Highlighted". Castries, St Lucia: The Voice of St. Lucia. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Catholic University of America (1997). Alumni Directory. Washington, D.C.: Publishing Concepts. p. 81.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Fundación de Etnomusicología y Folklore (1992). Anuario FUNDEF (in Spanish). 3. Caracas, Venezuela: Gobierno nacional de venezuela.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Lee, John Robert (4 October 2010). "Petronilla Deterville dies". St. Lucia Folk. Castries, Saint Lucia: Folk Research Centre. Archived from the original on 7 August 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Arts education in school and out of school. UNESCO. Seoul, Korea. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  • "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). UNESCO. Paris, France. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  • "Petronilla Deterville (1951–2010)". St Lucia Heroes. Castries, St. Lucia: St Lucia Heroes Associates. 2013. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  • "Piper's Song: Volunteerism to Safeguard the Music Art Form" (PDF). National Review. No. 23. Castries, St. Lucia. 24 September 2011. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  • "Queen's Birthday Honours: Full list". The Independent. London, England. 13 June 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  • "Youth Theatre in the Spotlight with New Play". Castries, St. Lucia: The Star. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
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