Bel Canto

The idea of this semi professional singing ensemble began in September 1999.  Its founder and director, Eldridge McPhee, returned to the Bahamas in 1998 after a thirteen-year stint of living in several cities in the South Eastern United States.

With a quartet of four voices, Candace Bostwick - Soprano, Naomi Godet-Taylor - Mezzo Soprano, Linda Osborn - Contralto and Eldridge McPhee - Lyric Baritone.  The quartet’s debut performance was on December 16th, 1999 at an event called Christmastide and has now become a standard yuletide fundraiser for The AIDS Foundation of The Bahamas and Unity Center of Light.

The group specializes in Classical and Contemporary Sacred Anthems, Negro Spirituals, Bahamian Folklore songs and Broadway show tunes.  The group intend to become ambassadors for the Bahamas as well as a professional recording music entity. 

Group Members:
Candace Bostwick:  Soprano
Nekita Thompson-Wells: Soprano
Maude Lockhart:  Soprano
Bonny Byfield:  Mezzo-Soprano
Nicole Davis-Evans:  Mezzo-Soprano
Lillian Bastian:  Mezzo Soprano
Elizabeth Missick:  Mezzo Soprano
Linda Osborn:  Contralto
Dwight Dorsett:  Tenor
Brian Fernander:  Tenor
Eldridge McPhee:  Director/Baritone
Robert Pinder:  Baritone
Tychiko Cox: Baritone
Allen Butler: Baritone
Carlos Thomas:  Bass
Naomi Godet-Taylor: Contralto
Dion Cunningham: Accompanist

About the Director:
Eldridge has been singing since he entered elementary school at William Gordon Primary School some thirty five years ago.  His first choral conductor is none other than Mrs. V Deveaux, mother to Joanne Deveaux Callendar.  Eldridge stunned a yuletide crowd at the Christmas pageant at the then Annex Baptist Church with his rendition of ‘O’ Holy Night at age nine.  He went on to sing in Holy Trinity Anglican Church Boys Choir, winning the Bahamas National Arts festival Competition for Boys’ Treble Voice at age 12.  He was a member of the first National Youth choir organized by Cleophas Adderley in 1983 and also sang under the direction of the late E. Clement Bethel with the Nassau Renaissance Singers.

Eldridge participated in drama at the Dundas Center for the performing Arts in plays directed by the late Francilia Bosfield and sang a season with the Nassau Amateur Operatic Society’s production of Fiddler on the Roof.

He left Nassau in 1984 where he studied voice and choral conducting under Levone Tobin Scott at Benedict College whose 1980 Choirs won a silver medal in an international choral competition in Hawaii. 

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting with a double major in vocal performance.  In 1990 Eldridge earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of South Carolina with a cognate in International Business.

He has sung with the world famous Frau Munster Chor in Zurich Switzerland for two years under the direction of acclaimed conductor and organist Alex Hug.

Eldridge was a principal of Artist Guild International who produced eight season of concerts at the Government House Ballroom where the majority of the proceeds went towards scholarship funds for The College of the Bahamas students in music programs.

His primary goal is to bring healing and health to the world through excellent production of all art forms.

To hear samples of Bel Canto’s An Evening of Sacred Music, click on the titles

Demo Samples:
Come Here Jesus
Abide With Me
I Stood On The River Jerdon
Father We Adore Thee