Fort Lauderdale, FL – May 21, 2024: Fresh from his recent performance at the Davie Jazz Festival in Florida, Jamaican tenor and cultural ambassador Steve Higgins spread his wings to Asia, touching down in Tokyo, Japan, in May.
While in Japan, Higgins showcased Jamaican Folk Songs, singing at concert halls in Tokyo and Tottori, as well as other selected venues. His performances received resounding responses from an audience that greatly admires Jamaica’s culture.
Higgins’ trip was a collaboration of the Embassy of Jamaica in Tokyo and Japan’s Min-On Concert Association, with the support of the Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Tottori Prefectural Government. The folk concerts in Tokyo and Tottori Prefecture commemorated this year’s 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Jamaica.
Ms. Yukari Kiyono, a celebrated Japanese operatic soprano, and Mr. Mitsuru Hirose, a distinguished pianist, joined Higgins in performance for the highly anticipated commemorative events. Response in the Japanese community to this series was very spirited.
To the delight of students, Higgins also sang at the Iwami High School in Tottori, where he engaged students with renditions of Jamaican music performed by the School’s Blue Martin Jazz Orchestra. The exchange culminated in a joint performance of songs, including Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’. The participation of students complemented Higgins’ annual workshop series on Jamaican Folk music in universities, museums, and schools across the Jamaican Diaspora.
“We were excited to welcome Mr. Higgins to Japan for this Jamaican cultural showcase as we introduced Japan to another genre of Jamaica’s music. I looked forward to the nostalgia that he brought through his spirited performance of Jamaica’s folk music,” said H.E. Shorna-Kay Richards, Jamaican Ambassador to Japan. Min-On’s Director of International Relations, Mr. Toshiaki Matsuo, shared: “We all love Jamaica and its vibrant music and culture! In the past, we have had excellent collaborations with Jamaica’s talented musicians. This time was no different as Higgins shared folk music from Jamaica with our members and other guests.”
Higgins said, “I was honoured to have received this invitation to Japan and looked forward to delivering exhilarating performances, including a tribute to the incomparable Harry Belafonte!” “This year, we brought love from the Land of Wood and Water to the Land of the Rising Sun during this special anniversary year for the people of Jamaica and Japan,” he beamed.
Over the years, Steve Higgins Productions has presented Jamaican Folk music all over Europe, North America, The Caribbean, and the United Kingdom. In addition to Folk songs, Higgins sings Jazz, Ballads, Standards, Broadway tunes, Sacred music, Italian Arias, and of course, most Jamaican popular genres. His concerts attract diverse audiences of all ethnicities, as he continues to work with Jamaican Embassies, High Commissions, and Consulates in promoting Jamaica’s culture in the global community.
