Music of The Virgin Islands - Institutions and Festivals

Institutions and Festivals

The two most prominent music institutions in the Virgin Islands are the Island Center (on St. Croix) and the Reichold Center (on St. Thomas). Both these centers provide a venue for concerts of Western classical music, jazz, musical theater and international pop stars. St. Croix is also home to a public performance venue in St. Gerald's Hall in Frederiksted, where locals dance quadrilles and otherwise perform.

Traditional Virgin Islander folk music festivals were performed until the late 1950s, and were based around costumed masquerading. With the advent of formal celebrations based around parades and festival village, local folk traditions declined, replaced by pan-Caribbean elements like calypso, moko jumbie stilt dancers and visiting performers from other islands.

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