Kala Sangam - Bringing people together through South Asian and Interdisciplinary Arts

Beloved Kala Sangam trustee Geraldine Connor has passed away

24th October 2011

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Monday 24th October 2011

We are deeply saddened to report that Kala Sangam's beloved trustee and internationally acclaimed artistic director, Geraldine Connor, passed away at the weekend after a long battle with ill health.

Geraldine has been a loyal supporter and a dear friend of Kala Sangam since the late 1990s, and has been a trustee of the organisation for 9 years.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago and having lived and been schooled equally in the UK and T&T, she has brought with her a unique blend of experience and broad perspective to worldwide audiences. She was the figurehead responsible for the monumentally successful Carnival Messiah, a glowing exemplar of the Caribbean’s capacity for world class creativity. In addition to conceiving, authoring and directing Carnival Messiah, Geraldine also directed the ‘Waiting Room for Journeying Souls’, a play by Madani Younis and ‘The Harder They Come’. Kala Sangam had the great opportunity of working with Geraldine in her major work – the Carnival Mssiah and also the Waiting room for Journeying souls.

Since settling in Harrogate, Geraldine has been instrumental in establishing Yorkshire as a key player in the national and international arts world. Geraldine received a doctorate in Music and Cultural Studies from Leeds University. She also had a diploma in Education and was also a licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music.

Most recently, Geraldine worked tirelesslessly and with infinite enthusiasm for Kala Sangam as a dedicated trustee of our company. Geraldine’s passionate support and warm, effusive personality will be greatly missed.

We have lost an iconic member of the artistic community and a stalwart trustee of our company.

“Of the thousands of people who we meet in our lifetime, there are very few who make a a mark on our soul. Geraldine was one of these people. Her loss is irreplaceable to the arts community and to Kala Sangam. We pray that she may rest in peace, and our thoughts go out to all of her family and close friends.”

Dr Geetha Upadhyaya, CEO and Artistic Director at Kala Sangam