The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

EVEN though classical singer Ty Cox was born with a disability, he has never let anything stop him from pursuing a career in music. For a young artist, he has accomplished feats beyond his age, singing throughout the United States and other parts of the world to perform with accomplished musicians such as Thomas Young from the Three Mo’ Tenors, Grammy Award Winner Sylvia McNair, Phoenix Opera directors Gail and John Massaro, his wife Susan Young, and others.

“I believe that this has definitely given me great exposure as a young classical artist. I pride myself in knowing that I am possibly the most exposed and most involved classical singer in my age bracket, so this within itself is a milestone,” Ty told Tribune Religion.

Ty was born with one leg and lives every day as an amputee. However, he overcame his physical disability, refusing to allow it to inhibit his musical career.

“To be able to perform in this manner while being challenged physically is definitely something that I am very proud of,” said Ty.

On Friday, Ty will host and perform at the “Songs of Our Ancestors, An Evening of Negroe Spirituals,” held at the Christ Church Cathedral. The event beginning at 7:30 pm will also feature Lakwan Bain, Candace Bostwick and Giovannni Clarke.

“The purpose for this month’s recital is to assist with finances, as I will be pursuing my Master’s Degree in Performance and Pedagogy. I’ve been offered auditions to the University of New Mexico, University of Western Ontario, and the Academy of Vocal Arts which is the leading school for Opera Studies in the United States. I’m looking forward to having the support of my people as I pursue these dreams. I am promising them an amazing display of vocal talent. The beauty of this recital is that most of the music is very familiar and the guest artists that I have on my program are remarkable. The audience will definitely be surprised to see the amount of great talent that will be displayed by youth and I’m very excited to show them off,” said Ty.

To date, Ty’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Music Vocal Performance and Pedagogy at St John’s University in College Minnesota.

“Before studying abroad I was a member of different choral groups here in New Providence, such as the Bel Canto Singers and the Bahamas National Youth Choir. I perform frequently as a guest soloist at Christ Church Cathedral,” said Ty.

Ty said the recital on Friday will be fitting, as the county recently celebrated its first holiday in commemoration of Major Rule Day.

“I recently returned from a trip to Florida performing in a concert for one of the Catholic Churches in Miami.

Before all this, I spent a month in Brazil, working with many international opera singers and directors at the Festival of International Americas Opera of the Americas Workshop,” said Ty.

As a full time musician, Ty said it can sometimes become difficult, but he finds ways to make it all work out in the best ways he can.

“There is nothing else that I will ever do because I am very deeply involved with the craft and it is my ultimate goal to foster better musical appreciation in this country. It is my belief that we are losing the sense of what good music really is and we settle for a lot of mediocre displays of art,” said Ty.

Ty said he believes the entertainment market is tough for any artists; whether it’s a musician, a painter, a writer or whomever. This is because they are not given the support they deserve, he said.

“No government official is promoting art the way that it should be, so a lot of full-time artists find themselves looking for work outside of the Bahamas. To be completely honest it is disheartening, but I would love to be one of those people who can change this way of thinking. If the leading Bahamian artists are having a difficult time trying to find sufficient work, imagine what it’s like for a young upcoming artist like myself,” said Ty.
He said there are not enough venues and “proper” performing arts centers, and there are also too many people graduating from the College of the Bahamas with music degrees who end up teaching in a class room, when they should be performing.

“Our appreciation for good art can definitely be greater. There has to be some type of support system for artists. I always tell people to imagine their lives without art and music. When you seriously think about this, you quickly realise the importance of it and how seriously it should be appreciated. Right now there is no good market for artists, whether it is a gospel artist, a Bahamian music artist, or a classical artist like myself, but I will remain forever hopeful, because I believe in my people,” said Ty.