The Venezuelan Embassy

One month before the staging of her gala recital entitled, “Wheels of a Dream” scheduled for October 22, 23 and 24, all tickets were sold out. Soprano Ren?e Michelle Solomon was happy that her talent could be appreciated by a Trinidad audience. In three days, Ren?e will share the stage with tenor Edward Cumberbatch, soprano Natalia Dopwell and Greta Taylor along with the Marionettes Chorale in a fund-raising evening of song at the Simon Bolivar Auditorium of the Venezuelan Embassy. Ren?e, past student of St Joseph’s Convent, Port-of-Spain and member of the Marionettes Chorale shares a passion for singing, dancing and acting and plans to pursue a career in the performing arts. It seems that the young lady from Belmont is rapidly growing up before our eyes. In her junior years she entered the Music Festival and other local competitions winning many awards. Just four years ago, she was parading across the stage with her tiara as winner of  the Hal Jackson Talented Teen International Scholarship Competition before hundreds, in New York. Now, the 20-year-old is staging her own show, under the patronage of former President Arthur NR Robinson, for three nights!

She is excited to have “everything come out perfectly,” but at the same time, she said, “it’s tough getting everything organised.” Her humility came to the fore when she remarked: “I’m still a student aspiring to be something great. I received a lot of support for which I am extremely greatful. At the helm of everything is my mother (Beverly Solomon)... People are not always behind you 100 percent, but my mother is always behind me. This is the start of moving in the right direction.” Ren?e was first drawn to opera and “high notes” and “vocal acrobatics” after listening to international gospel singer Sandi Patti. “She does wondrous things with her voice. She scales highs and lows. That, coupled with a passion and lyrics geared towards praising God, just makes your pores raise. That made me appreciate classical music,” she said. Clear and simple, she was overwhelmed by what she heard and had the belief and self-confidence that she too, could create high-sounding notes. So, she challenged herself. She told People: “I think it’s always depedent on what a person is drawn to, I love all types of music but I’m drawn to opera... The ability to do all that an opera singer does is fascinating to me. I could sit down and listen to a Kathleen Battle (US) CD with my mouth open and wonder about her skill. What she does with her voice is amazing!”

Although Ren?e was first recognised as a singer in the gospel arena, her singing talent was quite evident long before then. In 1994, at age 11, she gave a hint of what would follow with her remarkable performance as “Honest John” in Bishop Anstey Junior School’s musical production of “Pinnochio.” Some years later, at the age of 15, Ren?e wanted to experience what the competitive world was all about. At the Trinidad and Tobago Biennial Music Festival that year, she entered the Under-15 solo/duet/trio categories, the under-19 gospel solo and two adult open classes, ladies soprano and oratorio gaining four 1st places, two 2nd places and one 3rd place. At the Championship sessions she won three trophies: Best Junior Vocalist, Best Vocal Trio and Best Male/Female Adult Oratorio. She was also awarded the coveted adjudicators award — The Abdullah Trophy. In 2000, the born again Christian entered the National Full-Gospel Song Festival and was awarded “Best Female Vocalist” and Overall 2nd place.

She was voted “Most Promising Performer” of the Scouting for Talent 2001 series and Overall 3rd place. “In all these competitions, I was never competing with anybody but competing for something, so there was no real angst, and it was not an emotional drain for me... They were humbling experiences. I know how to lose and how to win, I am open to losing and open to winning. I don’t want to be prima donna-ish and officious, feeling that I know it all. I’m still learning. What I have is a God-given talent. God gave me a talent and all I want to do is expand on it. I don’t want to be on this earth for however long and not build on it. I want to use what God gave me, not necessarily for my benefit but for the enjoyment of others. I hope that by the time I’m a professional singer, I would have given a whole lot back.” In 2002, she received an eight-week scholarship in Voice at the prestigious Interlochen Centre for the Arts in Michigan. Currently, she voice trains under the direction of June Nathaniel of The Key Academy of Music. “She’s putting me in good stead, pointing me in the direction I need to go. “It gives me a lot of joy to sing, and I love to give joy to whom I’m singing, whatever the song is meant to project. Two weeks ago I sang with Anne Fridal. I was extremely honoured that she asked me to be a guest (at her show) because she is a well known dramatic soprano who has been in the business for a long time. For her to extend such an honour to me makes me feel that what I am doing is a step in the right direction, it makes sense.”