Rory Frankson

Opera in the Gardens at Sandals Whitehouse with dreadlock sensation, Rory Frankson, is like a mid-summer night’s dream with the accompaniment of good friends, fine spirits, and of course, the calming, Caribbean breeze.

With the echoes of a peacock’s call and a flowing fountain in the background, Rory commands the evening’s soft, tropical sounds with his smooth, operatic riffs—the ideal setting for a romantic night amid the stars, a night full of endless listening pleasure as Rory croons show tunes, classical and contemporary selections, and popular hits such as John Lennon’s Imagine and Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland.

Outdoor adventure has never been more calming or peaceful.

Rory, from the Second City of Jamaica (also referred to as Montego Bay), began his singing career in 1989 after his mom sent him to music school to learn how to play the piano. He later sang his heart out in the choir there and eventually joined the University Chorale and the professional group, The University Singers, where he realized his preference for Classical and Opera.

Despite jobs in accounting, analysis and call centers, Rory’s true passion lied in singing. In 2005, he was approached by a Sandals Corporate member to perform at the STAR Awards for the reopening of Sandals Dunn’s River…and the rest is history. Rory now performs in several Sandals Resorts across Jamaica where his musical versatility is showcased through Arias, Ballads, Standards, Jazz, and more. Rory appreciates various musical genres and aims to revolutionize the musical realm by broadening the spectrum of Jamaican music.

At Opera in the Gardens, he does just that, fusing Bob Marley’s classic hit, No Woman, No Cry and making it “Rory style,” a style that represents his Jamaican heritage and tops it off in classical fashion. He successfully blends together Jamaican Reggae and Dancehall music with a contemporary, classical sound.



It’d be an arduous task not to drift away into the disposition of Rory. Attend one of his shows, and you’ll no doubt find solace in his soothing, baritone performances and charming, always gracious demeanor.

Rory Frankson has performed as the opening act for Grammy Award winner, Deborah Cox, and also in a tribute to Harry Belafonte, as well as for various Heads of State, including the Queen. Rory’s debut album “You Are the One,” is available at Sandals and Beaches gift shops. Forty percent of the proceeds go to the Sandals Foundation.



Rory’s Weekly Sandals Schedule:

Sunday – Sandals Whitehouse, 8pm

Tuesday – Sandals Royal Caribbean, 8:30pm

Wednesday – Sandals Negril, 8:30pm

Thursday – Sandals Grande Ocho Rios, 8pm; Sandals Royal Plantation, 9:30pm

Friday – Beaches Sandy Bay, 7:30pm
- Life...Sandals Style - contributed by Hope Evans

RORY FRANKSON
Mr. Opera
Suzette Brown

In two days performing artiste, the dreadlocked Rory Frankson, will be leaving the warmth of the land of reggae for cold, cold Vermont in the United States to record his inaugural music album and in the process establishes a reputation as a bona fide Jamaican recording artiste.
However, no reggae or dancehall tracks will be featured on this album. Instead it will be a perfect mix of classical music, standards and ballads. “I was hoping to fuse reggae with classical, but the time is not yet,” Muses the baritone singer, who is creating waves on the hotel circuit, belting out sweet classical music in Italian as though he were at the opera; pleasing visitors starved for more than traditional Jamaican entertainment, and showcasing the versatility and depth of what it means to be a Jamaican entertainer.
So who is Rory Frankson, really, and why is this Jamaican and Montegonian embracing classical music?
For starter, Rory is the son of local customs brokers, Colin and Vivienne Frankson is a walking contradiction… pleasantly so. The seeds for his musical passion were sown from age 9 when he was sent to learn the piano with noted music teacher; Vivienne DeOkoro. “That’s where it all started. We used to perform in Christmas and summer shows at Fairfield Theatre, and I was encouraged to sing lead soprano and lead treble as a member of the Precious Jewels Choir and later the Montego Bay Boy’s Choir formed by Mrs. DeOkoro. It was during this period that I was exposed to classical music for the first time.”
During his time as a student at Cornwall College and later at the Montego Bay Community College, Rory placed singing on the backburner, and only re-immersed himself into his passion when he joined first the University of the West Indies Chorale in 1998 and then The University Singers in 1999, while a student at the university pursuing… no, not a degree in music, but a double major in Economics and Accounting. Right now, Rory is completing a Master of Science degree in Economic Development Policy. One obvious question is how accounting and economics equates to singing classical music, which young Frankson is pursuing as a full-time career.
“My very first paid performance was on December 1, 2005 at the Sandals Star Awards in Ocho Rios. I was performing with a soprano and after every single song we received a standing ovation and at the end of the performance every single member in the audience stood and applauded for 15 minutes (timing of applause comes courtesy of entertainer extraordinaire, Weston Haughton).That performance changed my life as that was when I actually knew I could pursue my passion as a career,” the artiste reminisced. These days Rory is all music, performing six shows a week on average, exclusively with the Sandals Group, which is also investing in his maiden album.
Pre-December 2005, Frankson who was unsure of how lucrative a music career could be if pursued properly, was on the 9 to 5 grind focusing on social service based employment, with the World Bank/Ministry of Health, the Stella Maris Foundation in the once volatile Grants Pen community in Kingston and the St. Joseph’s Hospital and St. Patrick’s Foundation. His final role in corporate Jamaica pre-music was as Senior Business Analyst for the E-Services Group.
These days Frankson is quite contented performing arias in Italian, even though he does not speak the language. “Many of the songs I sing are done in Italian, adding to the degree of difficulty. After learning the words I also have to learn the emotions of the songs, enabling me to stress for the added impact.” Rory also invests heavily in his equipment to ensure quality sound. The musical icon in the making further invests in voice training programmes and costumes, which are primarily tailored suits. “My parents are very supportive of my decision to pursue my passion. Initially, when I decided to go full-time they were a little concerned, but even then they were supportive. Right now the enjoy the benefits derived from watching me perform.”
As a performer, Rory has toured the Caribbean and USA as a member of the University Singers and has completed a tour as a solo artiste, performing in Atlanta, Chicago, Atlantic City, Los Angeles and Toronto, as well as the Eastern Caribbean, including St. Lucia, Barbados, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Antigua.
As an intense lover of music Rory Frankson appreciates a variety of genres and has deep admiration for the late, Luciano Pavarotti and the visually impaired Andrea Bocelli. His list of favourite artistes reads like a lesson in eclecticism, from the brash and pugnacious to the suave and serene, including Elephant Man, Vybz Kartel, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Guns ‘N’ Roses and the band Queen.
Lets wish Rory Frankson success with the new heights he’s ascending in his musical career and support his wish to become a household name locally.
- The Western Mirror - contributed by Suzette Brown

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.
- The Jamaica Gleaner - contributed by Michael Reckord

- Opera in Jamaica??? - July 19, 2010
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to escort a “destination wedding familiarization press trip” to the island where reggae music was born, Jamaica. I travel a lot, basically, I live out of a suitcase and after 16 years of travelling as much as I do I must admit that I still get very excited when I land in Jamaica. Why?? I love the people (I have never met more genuine and hospitable people), the culture, the history, the food, the beaches, but who wouldn’t love the Island and birthplace of Bob Marley!?!
When in Jamaica one expects they will only hear reggae music...On the last evening of our “fam trip” I spotted a very special man, Rory Frankson. I met Rory back in 2005 in Ocho Rios, he has left a strong impression on me, actually, he leaves a strong impression on everyone he meets. Rory is the most talented artist that I have ever met; he has a voice that is so powerful and a voice you can’t forget. As this was the last evening of our “Destination Weddings Journey” I wanted to end the trip with a grand finale, I knew if I asked Rory to sing for my group my mission would be accomplished and it certainly was! As we were sitting outside enjoying some cocktails I announced to the group that Rory was going to do a private performance for us...I knew they were all expecting to hear reggae but instead they heard opera...yes opera! To be honest, I have never been much of an opera fan but when I hear Rory sing something happens, his voice captures my attention, his songs are so powerful that they actually bring tears to my eyes, I was not the only one with tears; my group was in total “AWE” of him! Words can not describe this mans voice... Lori Pannia from The Ringbearer said it best “GOOSEBUMPS”! I am so grateful that Rory gave us the perfect ending to an amazing journey!!!
All the best,
Gina
--
Here is a little more information on Rory Frankson:
Rory Frankson began his Classical Singing career performing as an entertainer at Sandals, Beaches and Royal Plantation resorts in Jamaica, Bahamas, St Lucia, Turks & Caicos and Antigua. In 2008, SPI Entertainment produced Rory's 1st CD. On December 4, 2009 Rory released his CD during a concert at Beaches Turks & Caicos 2009 Star Awards. During the release performance, Rory dedicated "another Day In Paradise" written by Phil Collins, to Sandals Chairman Butch Stewart, the Stewart Family and the Sandals Foundation for their continued hard work to combat the afflictions of the poor in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. Rory plans to dedicate his career to "giving back". Rory Frankson can be contacted at 4 East Street, Montego Bay, Jamaica; or by email at roryfrankson@gmail.com. Telephone contact can be made at 876-856-2353 or Fax to 876-952-7264.
- The Ring Bearer - contributed by Gina Tsirmpas (Destination Wedding Expert)

Black Men Storm the Gates of Classical Opera

Lawrence Brownlee, Issachah Savage and Jamaica’s Rory Frankson follow the lead of Leontyne Price, breaking down barriers in opera

by Janelle Watkins, March 31, 2015

Black Men Storm the Gates of Classical Opera
Rory Frankson, Lawrence Brownlee and Issachah Savage

Black female opera singers have long been some of the most respected within the classical world—ask anyone to list the top 10 opera singers of all time and the list will invariably include several singers of color. Leontyne Price. Marian Anderson. Martina Arroyo. Grace Bumbry. Shirley Verrett. These are just a few who’ve been celebrated throughout the world for their operatic genius.

Now it seems that it’s young Black men who are leaving their indelible mark in the world of classical music and opera. And their mark is by no means negligible.

Enter Lawrence Brownlee, Issachah Savage and Rory Frankson.

Lawrence Brownlee (42) is one of the most sought after lyric tenors in the bel canto repertoire. The veteran of this group, he began his career in 2002, proceeding directly to one of the top three opera houses in the world, La Scala Milan, to sing in a leading role—a feat typically unheard of in the world of opera. That role, which has become his signature character, was Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Brownlee’s career has seen him sing in virtually all of the world’s top opera houses.

Issachah Savage (36) was the winner of the 2014 Seattle International Wagner Competition, earning a trifecta of awards including the main, audience and orchestra favorite prizes. He was also bestowed special honor by Seattle Opera’s general director Speight Jenkins (renowned for awarding special opportunities to Black male singers), who invited Savage to sing alongside opera greats including Clifton Forbis, Stephanie Blythe and Greer Grimsley at his retirement gala.

Rory Frankson (34) is a Jamaican baritone who has yet to make it on the main stage, but whose spark, personality and voice has everyone who hears him cheering him on. Frankson currently sings his way through the Caribbean at the various Sandals resorts, bringing his brand of classical music into the hotels and throughout the islands. He’s sold over 2,000 copies of his first album, You Are the One, which for an indie artist with no airplay or publicity is no small feat.

The interesting thing is that all three singers entered the classical realm quite by chance.

EBONY: Tell us about how you got into the world of opera.

Lawrence Brownlee: I’m from Youngstown, Ohio, and was raised in church, so music has always been a part of my life. In junior high, I was singled out as a candidate for a program for gifted music students. Back then I played trumpet, bass guitar, drums and a bit of piano, so I had a bunch of instruments behind me, but I chose to use my voice.

The overriding thing that they come back with should never be simply that the main character was sung by a Black guy. What you really want them to leave with is a lasting memory of the character you portrayed on stage.

Through this program, I got to take a few voice lessons in classical training at our local university. At the end of the program, we had to give a recital. I went on stage young and naïve. Really I was mocking what I thought an opera singer sounded like—honestly, I was joking. By the end though, the audience response was noticeably different from those that had been heard prior to my performance.

A voice coach by the name of David Starkey Sr. approached me after the show and said that he wanted to train me as an opera singer. I was like, “What? I don’t want to do opera.” But he said I had a gift that not many had. When I found out more about it, I liked it and decided to study it in earnest. I was 18 at the time.

Issachah Savage: Growing up in north Philadelphia, I never once heard opera at home. I attended a creative arts high school, where a wonderful choral director named David King was the first person to launch me into the world of opera. The first time he heard me sing, he asked me to meet him after school one day. He was this big, imposing figure to everyone at the time, and when he said to do something, you did it. When I met him, he instructed me to press play on a recorder and to listen.

I heard this voice, and I had no idea who it was or what was being sung, so I was like, “What in the world?” It was Swedish tenor Jussi Björling singing the climactic phrase from Verdi’s “Requiem.” As it finished, King instructed me to sing what I had just heard. I turned my back to him, to hide my embarrassment, and I just did it. When I faced him again, I saw a tear on his face, and he asked, “Do you see what I mean?” and in my head I’m like, “No, I do not see.” He told me I have the type of voice that people will be moved by, and that was that. It started me along that path.

Rory Frankson: When I was 9, my mother sent me to music school to learn piano. While there, the teacher started focusing instead on the voices of some of her students. I started singing and had a really good treble male voice. You know, all little boys have these high little voices. But puberty started, my voice started breaking, and no one would take me on until my voice settled. I stopped singing altogether and focused on academics.

For five years, with no vocal guidance, I felt like I didn’t know how to sing. In my head, I heard my treble voice, but when I opened my mouth the sound coming out was totally different. I went to a ceremony early on in college and heard voices that I thought were awesome. Having missed the auditions, I went to the first rehearsals anyway and sat with the tenors. The voice coach was Noel Dexter, a renowned Caribbean musicologist. I went to him at the end of the session and asked if I could stay.

I’ll never forget: he looked at me and said I had a very interesting voice, and then asked me to sing something for him. He could hear that there was a history of training, and decided to take me under his wing. He offered me free classical voice lessons from that point forward, and he completely shaped my voice into what it is now.

* * *

In the past, it’s been difficult for Black tenors to be cast in large productions. The tenor is always the love interest and will most often be singing opposite a heroine who is not Black, which has not always been positively received by classical music audiences. Consequently, many Black opera singers get overlooked for these plum roles.

It’s no small feat then, that Lawrence Brownlee has been able to transcend this longstanding barrier.

“In my 14 years in this business, I have been cast opposite only two females of color,” Brownlee says, “and I’ve played a lot of roles. As a tenor, singing opposite someone who isn’t also Black, I feel it’s my responsibility, my job, to make the audience see only the human connection between the characters. The overriding thing that they come back with should never be simply that the main character was sung by a Black guy. What you really want them to leave with is a lasting memory of the character you portrayed on stage.”

* * *

Issachah Savage, also a tenor, is quickly becoming known in opera circles as the Wagnerian. Black men are rarely seen in the repertoire he sings; in fact, it’s quite rare to find someone truly built to sing Wagner at all. Savage clearly is.

Sometimes, when an opportunity presents itself for a singer to jump in for someone else, it becomes a catalyst to make a name for themselves. Most recently, Savage was Clifton Forbis’s understudy in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Wagner’s Die Walküre. Twice in that run, he was able to take the stage as Siegmund when Forbis fell ill. The second time, the singer had less than an hour to prepare. Both times, he sang to standing ovations.

“2014 was a tour de force for me,” says Savage. “I had so much happening but I didn’t understand the magnitude of it. I’m just a singer, and I just want to sing. Last year I had a huge success in Seattle, but to me it was anyone’s guess who would have won that competition. When I sat backstage and listened to everybody, I was like, ‘Oh God just help me to do well.’ Everyone was so fabulous, I just had to fit in wherever I could get in. But I went out there and it felt like home to me, and every time I step on stage, it still does.”

* * *

Rory Frankson is no Brownlee or Savage, but that’s to be expected. With no opera houses and very few stages for classical singers in Jamaica (or the Caribbean as a whole), he has to make the best of the hand he was dealt. He has, however, had the honor of singing for the Queen during her visit to the West Indies, and he has also sung for many heads of state. His largest opportunity thus far was an invitation to sing at a tribute function for Harry Belafonte in Toronto, where he was able to sing with a live orchestra for the first time in his career.
“I was reading Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist when I decided give up a secure career and income in business for the arts,” he says. “The fundamental aspect of the story says that if you go after your life’s desire, the world will conspire in your favor, and that helped alleviate my fears.
“The most challenging aspect of being a classical singer in Jamaica is trying to gain the respect of mainstream media,” Frankson continues. “Reggae and dancehall are such dominant aspects of our culture, so they garner all the attention. It’s so hard to attract the promoters and media, and to get them to understand that a market exists not just for reggae, but even for a fusion between reggae and classical music. For me though, every challenge is just something to be overcome, and I will overcome.”
Lawrence Brownlee looks forward to visiting 50 countries before he turns 50. Issachah Savage is excited about his debut stint at the Metropolitan Opera. (He’s been portraying Don Riccardo, squire to Plácido Domingo, in Verdi’s Ernani since March 20.) Rory Frankson is currently working on his second album, a dedication to Broadway. He’s also making arrangements for a major concert with some mainstream artists to be held in Montego Bay, Jamaica.


Janelle Watkins is a writer and culturist who eats, plays and drinks around the globe. She is also editorial director of TheSceneinTO, a Toronto-, NYC- and Miami-based online magazine. Follow Janelle on Twitter @theSceneinTO. - Ebony Magazine