(THE) ARTS ALIVE ASSOCIATION
AND ITS MISSION
Arts Alive started as a music and performing arts school in Tobago in 2010 under the direction and administration of Anne-Marie (Baksh) Brimacombe and her husband, Peter Brimacombe.  It grew quickly to include the performing groups described on the previous page and in May, 2013 was formally incorporated as a non-profit association.  Its MISSION is to foster knowledge, excellence, empowerment and unity through the performing arts (in Trinidad and Tobago).

DONORS, SPONSORS AND VOLUNTEERS
(See the exciting announcement on our "News" page about the recent sponsorship
of our REACH Programme for the differently-abled by the Digicel Trinidad and Tobago Foundation.)

Many of the aims and objectives of Arts Alive (included below) are service-oriented and are made possible through donations of time, expertise and funding from amazing volunteers and from generous individual donors, local businesses and corporate sponsors.  Arts Alive, its students and performers, and the audiences who love our performances are immensely grateful for this wonderful support.  Key, national corporate sponsors to date include the Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago Foundation, the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC) and Aeropost Trinidad Ltd.  We are also grateful for the support provided for our production "Rhythms of Life, Voices of Nature" by the Tobago House of Assembly, the Ministry of Education and the National Lotteries Control Board.   For a complete list of sponsors and donors please see the list below.

If you are interested in becoming part of the work of Arts Alive as a volunteer, sponsor or donor, thank you for considering this. 
Please contact us as indicated on the "Contact" page of this website. 
Donors and sponsors to date (in alphabetical order)
Aeropost Trinidad Ltd. // Angostura Holdings Ltd. // AVIT Support Ltd. // Camps, (Penelope) // Chamely, (Edmund and Josephine) // Clinical Sound and Lighting // Digicel Trinidad and Tobago Foundation // D' Resource Centre // Golden Grove Meat Shop // Independence Stores Ltd. // Itsy Bitsy Theatre (Richard and Annette Alfred) // Khan, (Winston and family) //
Miles Almandoz and Co. Ltd. // Ministry of Education of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago // MovieTowne Lowlands Mall //
National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago // National Lotteries Control Board // Oasis Guest House // Owens (Gail and Colin) // Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago Foundation // Soroptimist International of Tobago // StoreBay Resorts Ltd. //
Summit Services (Tobago) Ltd. // Taylor, (Sally) // Tobago House of Assembly // Tobago Resorts // Tobago Waters Ltd. // 
Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (Transport and Telecom Branch) // UPS Ltd. Trinidad and Tobago

Arts Alive children perform "Don't Laugh At Me" with Tobago's (Wheel)-Chair-Man, Jason Clarke.  To the left Alicia Williams "signs" the words for the hearing impaired.  Arts Alive productions convey positive messages in their stories and themes including the importance of: developing good character, respecting our differences, working in unity with others, protecting our natural environment,
and honouring our cultural heritage.

HONORARY PATRONS
(Bios and photos further down in this section)

Former First Lady Mrs. Zalayhar Hassanali
Dr. Carol La Chapelle

BOARD MEMBERS
(Bios and photos further down in this section)

Dr. Eastlyn McKenzie (Chair)
Mrs. Anne-Marie (Baksh) Brimacombe (Co-founder)
Mr. Peter Brimacombe (Co-founder and Secretary)
Mr. Adrian Low (Treasurer)
Mrs. Annette Alfred
Ms. Dotsie Bacchus
Mr. Jason Clarke
Ms. Penelope Camps
Mr. Richard Edoo
Ms. Rhonda Lewis
Mr. Rawle London

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aims and objectives of the Arts Alive Association are to provide (and subsidize where needed) the following:

1. Instruction in the performing arts for deserving children, youths and adults (including those with special needs) in Trinidad and Tobago, in order for them to develop skills that may include but would not be limited to the following: music performance, music arranging, music or video recording, acting, dance, choreography, lighting, set design and set making, costume design and costume making.
 
2. Performing opportunities for "abled" and those "differently-abled" through concerts and shows that will be of benefit to the greater community while giving the performers first-hand experience in performance and the opportunity to develop confidence, self-esteem, teamwork and the many other positive personal qualities related to performing. 
 
3. Music programmes in the community for children, youths and adults including those with special needs.  
 
4. Professional development in the performing arts for school teachers.


Arts Alive members deliver a powerful message through their performance of Michael Jackson's "Earth Song". 

BIOS AND PHOTOS - HONORARY PATRONS AND BOARD MEMBERS

Honorary Patrons

Mrs. Zalayhar Hassanali
Mrs. Hassanali is one of this country’s most active and respected advocates for civil, social and environmental causes.  As the wife of former President Noor Hassanali, she performed the duties of the nation’s First Lady with distinction from 1987-97.   Her charitable work, however, started long before her formal term as First Lady and has continued ever since including the years after her husband’s passing in 2006.  She has been a champion for children, women, the poor and the differently-abled as well as for environmental conservation.  As a result she was presented with the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 2011. During her time as First Lady she was described as a “gentle, warm aristocratic lady who has become a national symbol of graciousness and charm”.  Those words are as relevant today as they were almost 30 years ago.

     Mrs. Zalayhar Hassanali

Dr. Carol La Chappelle

Dr. Carol La Chapelle
A national scholarship winner, Dr. Chappelle received her professional training at the London College of Dance & Drama, the Dartford College of Education, the University of London, and the Royal Academy & Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. Her PhD is in Cultural Studies. 
A cultural activist she is involved in theatre, education & carnival nationally, regionally & internationally. Artistic Director of the La Chapelle Dance Company & former Director and choreographer of the Trinidad Theatre Workshop (under Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott) she has served as President of the National Dance Association and on several national boards. A multiple national awardee, she currently lectures at UTT.  In addition to being an Honorary Patron of Arts Alive, Dr. La Chapelle has provided choreography for some of its most outstanding performances. 

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Board Members

Dr. Eastlyn McKenzie (Board Chair)

Dr. McKenzie is considered a Tobago icon.  She was, for many years, an outstanding teacher in Tobago having earned a Master’s Degree and a Doctorate in Education in the U.K. and the U.S.A.  She worked as both a Community Development Officer and Education Extension Officer in Tobago and was appointed as an Independent Senator in Parliament from 1995 to 2007.  She served on this Country’s Equal Opportunity Commission for two terms from 2008 to 2014 and as a member of the Commission of Inquiry into the 1990 attempted coup.   In addition to her passion for education and Tobago’s cultural heritage, Dr. McKenzie has been a champion for youth, the elderly, those in prisons, and for the differently-abled.  As a result she was presented with the Chaconia Silver Medal by the President in 2008 for meritorious service to the Country. 
Dr. McKenzie is Chair of the Steering Committee for the YMCA in Tobago and is an avid participant in, and promoter of the performing arts.  She is celebrated as an actor and story-teller on live stage and on television. In addition to serving on the Arts Alive Board, we have been fortunate to have her as MC and narrator for our shows. 

Dr. Eastlyn McKenzie

Mrs. Anne-Marie (Baksh) Brimacombe (Artistic Director) and Mr. Peter Brimacombe (Board Secretary)
(Both Founding Directors)

Arts Alive was started originally as a music and performing arts school in Tobago by Anne-Marie (Baksh) Brimacombe and Peter Brimacombe.  Under their direction it has become a registered NGO and they continue as its Artistic Directors who currently write, direct and produce its shows.  They also serve on our Board with Peter as Board Secretary.

Mrs. Anne-Marie (Baksh) Brimacombe

Originally from Trinidad, Mrs. Brimacombe obtained her post-secondary education in England in singing, teaching music, and acting from the Royal Academy of Music and the De Leon School of Drama.  She returned to Trinidad where she taught music privately and in schools for six years.  During that time she acted with both the Trinidad and Tobago Theatre Workshop and the Trinidad Tent Theatre Company.  She is also well remembered as a judge on the "Twelve and Under" television show.

In 1984 Anne-Marie married Peter Brimacombe, a Canadian working with the Langmore Health Foundation in South Trinidad and playing solo piano in the Holiday Inn in Port of Spain.  Following their marriage they moved back to Canada where
Mrs. Brimacombe was celebrated as an award-winning musical performer, music teacher, choral director and show producer. 

While in Canada she was also a featured presenter at the National Association of Canadian Choral Conductors.  Peter collaborated with her, writing and arranging many of her shows, while also working with the University of Victoria and the Canadian Red Cross.

Anne-Marie, Peter and their son Daniel Brimacombe returned to live in Tobago in 2010.  They are currently featured performers as the Anne-Marie Baksh Trio in hotels in Tobago. In addition to performing and to establishing Arts Alive Tobago, Mrs. Brimacombe was hired on contract by the Tobago House of Assembly to develop a choral programme in Tobago.  This contributed significantly to Tobago taking many of the top honours at the last National Music Festival. 
Mrs. Brimacombe has also commenced music programmes in Tobago specifically for students and young adults with special needs.

Mr. Peter Brimacombe

Mr. Adrian Low (Board Treasurer)

       Mr. Adrian Low

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Originally from Trinidad, Mr. Low can be described as a true entrepreneur.  He ventured into his own business at the age of 21 and has continued ever since in automotive supplies, concierge services, real estate brokerage, property management, health supplement sales, tourism tour services and logistics.  He and his wife, Rachel, also currently operate the Aeropost/UPS office and service in Tobago.  The Lows are an “Arts Alive family” with Rachel performing in its Jubilation Choir and their two children, Chelsea and Josh, involved in its Children’s Performing Company and Training Group.  In addition to bringing his accounting, business and fundraising skills to the Board, Adrian’s versatility sees him involved in various aspects of backstage preparation and in handling many of the audio-visual components of Arts Alive shows. 

Mrs. Annette Alfred
Originally from Charlotteville, Mrs. Alfred attended university in New York where she obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Arts.  An outstanding performer, writer and show producer, Mrs. Alfred has worked tirelessly in the promotion of Tobago culture through the arts.  She was instrumental in establishing the annual Heritage Festival in Tobago and founded the Tobago Academy of Performing Arts.  She and her husband also established and managed the Itsy Bitsy folk theatre in Mt. Pleasant.  Mrs. Alfred served as an Independent Senator in parliament. 
In 2005 she was awarded the Public Service Gold Medal of Merit.   Mrs. Alfred’s granddaughter, Kia, is a member of the Arts Alive Children’s Performing Company.

           Mrs. Annette Alfred

Ms. Dotsie Bacchus

Ms. Dotsie Bacchus
Ms. Bacchus has been an advocate and supporter of persons with disabilities for many years in Tobago.  She is President of the Parents Support Group for Persons With Disabilities, and she serves as volunteer secretary of the Tobago Council for Handicapped Children.

Ms. Bacchus currently works as Special Educator at the Tobago Technical Vocational School for persons with disabilities.  She is also active as a member of Autism Tobago.

Ms. Penelope Camps
Originally from Trinidad, Ms. Camps obtained her post-secondary education in the U.K. as a Speech and Language Pathologist.  She has worked in this field for many years in Trinidad and now in Tobago at the Child and Adolescent Centre.   Ms. Camps has also been a business owner and is Founding Director of the Yahweh Foundation, a dynamic social service NGO in Tobago.  She also continues to participate in a number of the programmes of the Foundation for Human Development in Trinidad. Ms. Camps says she enjoys her affiliation with Arts Alive as she has come to know the value of the performing arts in assisting people of all ages to find their voice and potential.

  Ms. Penelope (Penny) Camps

Mr. Jason Clarke

Mr. Jason Clarke
Originally from Roxborough in Tobago, Jason had an accident at six years of age which left him paralyzed from the waist down.  As a result he was schooled at the Princess Elizabeth Centre in Trinidad where he also learned piano, drumming (Jimbay) and developed his vocal talents. As a singer he has won the Tobago House of Assembly’s Inter-Departmental Calypso Monarch Award and first prize in the Baker Scouting Tobago Talent Contest.
 
Jason advocates for those with disabilities through involvement in numerous civil society organizations, and he represented Trinidad and Tobago in New York in the United Nations formulation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities.  He has been a member of the National Wheelchair Team since 1998. Jason currently works as Social Service Officer in the Disability Affairs Unit of the Tobago House of Assembly (DHSS).  

Mr. Richard Edoo
Mr. Edoo grew up in Tobago and has spent most of his working life in the banking industry. 
He is currently District General Manager for Scotiabank in North and East Trinidad, and in Tobago.  Mr. Edoo is an accomplished musician (keyboards) and uses his musical skills in youth ministry.  He serves on the Tobago YMCA Steering Committee and the Board of           St. Nicholas School.  His daughter, Sumaya, is a member of the Arts Alive Children’s Training Group. 

 

Mr. Richard Edoo

Ms. Rhonda Lewis

Ms. Rhonda Lewis (aka Thunder Sowevhi)
Ms. Lewis has been a practicing vocalist, poet, songwriter and dramatist for over 25 years. 
A Trinidadian by birth, she has danced with the Arawaks and Contemporary Dance Companies of San Fernando, and has participated and won awards as a vocalist in numerous music festivals in Trinidad and in Barbados.  She has been active in the Writers’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago and has produced two original albums.  She was a gold medalist and winner of the “Best Original Song” in the Barbados National Independence Festival of the Arts and has been a performer with the Tobago Theatre Guild.  In addition to the arts, Thunder works as a teacher of special needs children.  Ms. Lewis has been a performing member of the Arts Alive Jubilation Choir since its inception and also brings to our Board experience in administration gained as a corporate administrative secretary. 

Mr. Rawle London
A member of one of Tobago’s leading families, Mr. London grew up in Whim and Parlatuvier. 
A former police officer, he now runs his own transportation and security businesses.  Mr. London has loved music all of his life, and “in his younger years” he was a singer with the local pop group the “Fabulous Untouchables.  He, his wife Ava, and their daughter Alia all perform with Arts Alive.  When there is a need in the Jubilation Choir or on our Board Mr. London always finds a way to get things done and he has been especially active in our fundraising events.  In addition to music,
Mr. London is an avid football player (goalie) who also coaches that sport in the community.  
In addition to singing with Arts Alive he has also shown he has inherent talent for acting and for comedy.

 

Mr. Rawle London