Hyacinth Nicholls has come home to sing for her sister, Anne, a registered nurse at the Port of Spain General Hospital, who is in need of triple by-pass heart surgery.
It has been nine years since the Internationally acclaimed mezzo- soprano sang in her homeland, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of her alma mater, Bishop Anstey High School, playing the role of "Orfeo" in the opera "Orfeo ed Euridice" by Gluck. Joslynne Sealey was "Euridice."
Ironically, also nine years ago, Hyacinth's elder sister underwent a double by-pass, which has now broken down.
Hyacinth has come to Trinidad directly from Barbados where she had been invited by the James Street Methodist Church to appear in "The Heavens Declare The Glory of God - A Millennium Celebration in Flowers & Music". along with Argentine born Hector Olivera, one of the most sought after organists in the world today.
"The Festival lasted four days over the bank holiday week-end, January 21 to 24, it was mainly about flowers, I appeared on Saturday. I knew it would have been a wonderful experience to come and see my family so I asked the hosts to organise a round trip via Trinidad" says Hyacinth in her very soft speaking-voice.
While preparing for this visit, Hyacinth learned of the cost of the surgery which amounts to $120,000. "But even before Barbados I had thought about having a benefit in England because I knew she needed a substantial amount of money. Here was a golden opportunity to come to Trinidad and do it for Ann."
Singing with the Lydians and Pat Bishop was a natural choice because Hyacinth sang with the Lydians under Joyce Spence, her music teacher at school, and also with Bishop and the Southernaires.
"I realised the Lydians' repertoire was extensive, and they provide an interesting and varied programme, so I decided perhaps we can come together. My sister Joyce turned to Pat for advice, the result is the Queen's Hall concert tomorrow evening at 8.15 p.m. Please tell everybody that there will be tickets at the door.
Hyacinth's singing career did not start "like most other performers from age five. I was not one of those who dreamt of being on stage, I wanted to teach children with special needs, like the deaf and dumb, or the blind."
However, fate stepped in when she won the Shield for the Most Outstanding Performer at the Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival in the year 1980. "I had just left school. I had swept everything the Festival before in 1978, except the overall Shield but I got it in 1980. Dr Havelock Nelson the adjudicator stuck his neck out on my behalf and recommended me for the Trintoc scholarship in the Arts." "There were a few people very well who could have gotten it, it was very competitive, but because of my success, Dr Nelson spoke for me. It would never have ocurred to me to go away and have my voice trained, I just saw singing as a pleasure and not something I could earn my living from and I was not one of those who dreamt of being on stage" Nicholls explained.
"But then this opportunity came to go away and have my voice trained so I went, supposedly with an open mind, at the time I am sure I went kicking and screaming but in reflection I say I went with an open mind."
At the end of four years, Hyacinth graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the Barbican, London, as an Associate of the Guildhall School of Music, in opera, principally in singing, with piano as her second study; completed a one year opera course at the National Opera Studio: "like the name suggests, it is the place to go if you are looking to pursue a career in opera."
It was now time to join the world of work so she joined the Glyndebourne Opera Company "a very prestigious little opera house in Sussex, in a stately home which was turned into an opera house. It was opera with champagne and dinner in the gardens. You could bring your own, some people came with their own butlers and silver service, it really is quite a spectacle, 1990 was the last time I sang there." Hyacinth branched out and sang for various touring companies, and also started to do more freelance work abroad.
In 1984 she married Steve Nasib, a former Queen's Royal College Intercol footballer. Then made time in 1991 to have a son Derryck,(SPELLING CORRECT) now eight and visiting Trinidad for the first time with his parents, and confidently gave his own interview as a performer, in concert, with his mother, in Porgy and Bess, at the Royal Albert Hall. and in the operatic performance in Lisbon, Portugal: "I was Scipio, just a little guy who does anything for Porgy. You see Porgy has a crutch, he doesn't like children except for Scipio." The well-spoken eight year old has also appeared as Benjamin in Joseph and The Technicolour Dream Coat at Westminister Central Hall. However, he really likes playing the piano and would like to be a pianist when he grows up. His famous mother sees him as a conductor. Only time will tell.
Going back to my interview with Hyacinth, who found it difficult "to come back" after having her only child. "It was like starting out again after Derryck because it is easy to lose your slot on the circuit and there is so much new talent, people are quick to not think about you if you are a freelancer and not on contract to a particular company where they plan way ahead what you will be doing next year. Then too I am not a pusher and believe in being in the right place at the right time. I believe about my life being designed by a higher power. I feel all places and persons have been in that special plan of my life. Most stage animals have stars in their life from age five, I really did not have that. It was a very, very gradual process and I was very cautious too, maybe even skeptical, but of course now I love it. And I have really enjoyed it and still do enjoy it. It is up and down but I do enjoy the buzz you get from performing."
And while Hyacinth sings at Queen's Hall for her sister at 8.15 p.m. tomorrow night, where a contribution of $100 is being asked, Anne waits hopefully to see if the amount needed for the surgery to be done at Mount Hope Hospital, will materialise, otherwise says the Trinidad- trained nurse "if I don't get the surgery like yesterday, my heart consultant says he will have to try angioplasty for the time being."