Festival Village Official Opening Honors 11-Time Road March Winner Kevré Hendricks and CHANT Leader Frandelle Gerard

Honored for his dedication to Virgin Islands music, Kevré Hendricks launches a fundraising initiative for school music programs. Cultural Night also celebrated Frandelle Gerard and CHANT for preserving the islands’ heritage and history.

“It's got a nice ring to it,” quipped Kevré Hendricks, as he officially welcomed people to Maestro's Musical Haven for the first time on Sunday, fresh of his band's win at the first-ever USVI Band Clash the previous night. The 11-time road march winner, longtime music educator and band director, and 6-year veteran of the V.I. National Guard said that he initially did not understand the significance of the honor when he was first informed. Upon receiving the letter that this year's Festival Village would be named after him, “I thought that it was just, well, you're going to be recognized – come up, shake hands, thank you for your service,” Mr. Hendricks said.

It was only when he began receiving a “resounding” number of congratulatory text messages that the impact of the honor began to sink in. “A lot of times you think that people are not paying attention,” Mr. Hendricks mused. His dedication to music in the Virgin Islands comes from his philosophy of working “really, really hard for what I believe in,” he asserted, immediately demonstrating that commitment by launching an initiative that will run for the duration of the Village this year.