Women power at NAPA after Carnival

To commemorate International Women's Day, the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women will stage Women Power: an Evening of Excellence on Wednesday, March 8, at Lord Kitchener Auditorium, National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port-of-Spain,.

The cast includes Vaughnette Bigford, Mavis John, Alicia Jaggasar, D Piano Girl Johanna Chuckaree, Patrice Roberts, Sharda Patassar and more,a media release said. The event begins at 7:30 pm.

The release highlighted two of the performers, Mavis John and Vaughnette Bigford. It said John has been revered as the Caribbean Queen of Song for six decades. Since the 1960s she's shared the stage with starlets like the late Annmarie Inniss, Ella Andall, Barbara Absolom and Carol Addison.

John produced her first single – It's a Man's World – in 1965 and was one of the shining lights on local stages through the '60s and '70s.

Multi-talented, multi-faceted John is also an acclaimed actress and won a Cacique Award in 1996 for her role in Eintou Springer's Shades of I-She.

"She continues turning out beautiful music, her latest release being the single Release the Dove, written by Christophe Grant," the release said.

Originally from La Brea, Vaughnette Bigford is one of the region's premier chantuelles and enjoys much adulation and acclaim locally, regionally and internationally. Bigford is unique and in a class by herself as she fuses jazz, calypso and folk, reinterpreting old vintage compositions, the release said.

Bigford recently became the hostess of iconic children's television talent show 12 & Under,

Women Power: an Evening of Excellence will highlight some of the best female talent in Trinidad and Tobago.