Carnival Village Opens with Tribute to Music Educator Malvern Gumbs
With the official opening of Carnival Village on Monday night, festivities on St. Thomas have kicked into high gear.
2024-04-30 12:20:03 - VI News Staff
Dubbed “Malvern’s Melodic Greathouse” after music educator Malvern Gumbs, the village was a hive of activity as patrons criss-crossed the grounds, sampling food and beverages from vendor booths.
“Can you imagine a village without music? Not possible!” declared Senate President Novelle Francis, noting that this year’s honor went to a highly deserving person. Apart from Mr. Gumbs’ 27-year long career as a music teacher in the territory’s school system, his direct contributions to Carnival and culture were highlighted during Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mr. Gumbs was lauded for his composing and arranging efforts on behalf of junior and senior calypsonians, his incredible nine back-to-back road march titles with Spectrum band, and his work through recently established non-profit MVG: Connecting the World Through Music. His sister Merida, who introduced the honoree to the supportive audience, said that their late mother was the one who introduced Mr. Gumbs – and her other children – to music.