Welcome to the 3rd Cayman Arts Festival. We are excited that we have such a huge variety of events to showcase in 2008. This year seems to be a year of Firsts! We are so proud to be able to present a concert in Cayman Brac as part of the Cayman Arts Festival. "String Fever," a fantastic string quartet that plays on electronic instruments will be performing in both Grand Cayman and at the Brac. One of the main aims of the Festival has always been to have a strong educational emphasis. We normally ask our artists to perform concerts at various schools but this year we have gone one step further – a number of children have been selected by audition to form the children's chorus in a performance of Puccini's opera La Bohème. Students of various ages will be performing on stage as part of the chorus of the Opera. We are excited to be presenting the first fully-staged opera in Grand Cayman. La Bohème will be performed by the Garden Opera Company at Pedro Castle (the first outdoor performance for the Cayman Arts Festival) and a second performance will be staged at First Baptist Church for the students of Cayman. Back by popular demand is the charismatic conductor, John Mclaughlin Williams, who will be conducting the Opening Night of the Festival. Various orchestral members from Cleveland will also be performing side by side members of the Cayman National Orchestra in a variety of works by Russian composers. The Cayman National Choir shall also be joining this spectacular event to sing Borodin's Polovetsian Dances. The Jazz night during the Cayman Arts Festival has always proved to be such a success and this year's lineup promises to be just as attractive as the previous years. The Grand Finale is a night not to be missed. The Magnets, an a capella ensemble that will surely leave the audience wanting more!

As artistic directors of the Cayman Arts Festival we would like to ensure that the festival keeps on going from strength to strength. We would like to see this festival included on the world calendar of events for all festivals. This, though, can only be achieved through the help and support from various organisations, businesses and volunteers. We are thankful for all the support we have received to date but we now realise that in order to "grow" and plan more successfully for the future, we need to develop frameworks for more long-term commitment from our supporters.

We would like to thank all the Sponsors of the Cayman Arts Festival, the Friends of the Festival and the wonderful volunteers. Without this network of people, the Festival would not be able to go ahead. We do look forward to working with the various businesses, organisations and individuals for the next set of events. We do hope that you will enjoy the music and the art that Cayman Arts Festival has brought to you this year.

Jennifer Micallef and Glen Inanga