Rory Frankson ... wants to interpret the Jamaican cultural heritage through classical music. - Contributed

Economics or singing? Which career option should I choose?

That was the question facing Rory Frankson on graduating from the University of the West Indies (UWI) with a first degree in economics and accounting.

After much thought, he actually started a master's in economics programme at the university, but then fate intervened. A job relocation took him back to Montego Bay where he was born and gave him the opportunity to "sing more".

"I quickly capitalised on it," he told The Sunday Gleaner, and the "more" became "full time". Now, he said, "Singing has consumed my life totally."

Frankson sings on the hotel circuit, not surprisingly, considering where he lives, and, because of an exclusivity agreement, he performs only with the Sandals group of hotels. But here's the surprise - he does not sing reggae and dancehall, though, he said, because of his locks, that's what most audiences expect.

Six shows in five nights

"I currently do an average of six shows in five nights, at different hotels," Frankson explained. "Every show is different. An average show lasts for about 45 minutes and runs about 12 to 14 songs, at least half of which are classical. The other half typically contains standards, ballads, show tunes and love songs."

And the album he is currently recording, with release slated for this year, will contain "mostly classical pieces, with a few standards and ballads".

Of his musical focus Frankson said, "I did not choose classical music, but rather classical music chose me." He was then only nine years old.

How did it happen that he "never got too much into reggae as a teen"? The answer took Frankson back to his childhood.

"My parents sent me to music school (to Vivienne DeOkoro in Montego Bay) to learn to play the piano," he said. "At the school, Mrs DeOkoro insisted that her students sing in the choir. She had three choirs - juniors, teens and adults.

"When she started teaching us classical music, I was totally thrilled by it. My very first aria was Ave Maria, then Panis Angelicus, as a treble."

Later in his life, at UWI when he joined the University Chorale in 1998 and then the University Singers in 1999 and got training from singing director, Noel Dexter, Frankson said that his voice "continued to mature to a more classical sound".

Appreciates reggae

But while he loves the classical genre, he does "appreciate" reggae and dancehall, and Jimmy Cliff and Beres Hammond are favourites. Recently, he also admitted, he has started enjoying "the lyrical styling of Vybz Kartel, and the energetic, international quality of Elephant Man".

He is currently experimenting with reggae songs such as Marley's Redemption Song, Cliff's Many Rivers to Cross and Evening Time, among others.

"I do classical renditions of them with a grand piano," he said.

Though he prefers solo work and wants primarily to be a recording artiste, Frankson has performed with Jamaica Musical Theatre Company (JMTC) in musicals and dreams of appearing on Broadway.

He declared, "I love musicals, especially the ability to assume a role or personality and completely engulf myself in that role. It allowed me to experiment with music outside my normal performance style and repertoire. Performing with JMTC taught me more about connecting with the audience and letting my personality shine through in my performance."

Frankson has often sung abroad - in other Caribbean islands and the USA - as a member of the University Singers, and also in Canada as a result of his connection with the Sandals chain.

"In 2006," he said, "Sandals requested that I help them promote the opening of their new Italian-themed hotel (Sandals Dunns River Villagio) in the USA. This led to tours of their other properties in the Caribbean and, in the USA, in Atlanta, Chicago, Atlantic City and Los Angeles and also in Toronto, Canada."

He said that in the USA when he first started singing at the various venues, the audience, expecting reggae, initially appeared "stunned" when he sang classical pieces. "Then they erupted in applause."

Visionary approach

Frankson sees himself as having a "visionary approach to classical music in Jamaica". His dream, he explained, "is to interpret the Jamaican cultural heritage through classical music and to successfully blend Jamaican reggae and dancehall music with a classical sound".

He even wants "to create a new sound that represents Jamaica and enriches and broadens the spectrum of Jamaican music".

Elaborating on that desire, he told The Sunday Gleaner: "Reggae/dancehall are pop, and are opposite of the traditional interpretation of classical music. However, music changes over time. The greatest art forms evolve to satisfy the people of the day. While classical music will still have its traditional crowd, it also has an emerging audience who desire a more contemporary sound."

Frankson intends to be a key player in making Jamaican popular music become part of that contemporary classical sound.