Vaughnette Bigford’s childhood dream was to be an accountant.
However, everything she did in life was accompanied by song. She was always singing to herself, happy or sad.  At the age of seven Vaughnette was happily consumed by the arts, even performing at the San Fernando Arts Festival and nurturing her talent all through Point Fortin Government Secondary school. But even though she appreciated her talent, her main focus and commitment still remained with accounting.

Eight years ago, however, Vaughnette realised that singing was the one thing that truly made her happy. She connected to Jazz and classical music, as it was all she listened to as a child in her grandparent’s house and it was through this type of music she found serenity.  “After realising this is what I wanted to do, I instantly began voice training. I did my training for a full year. It was in that same year I recorded a demo and dropped it off at San Fernando Jazz Arts Festival,” she told Metro.

In 2004, Vaughnette made her first appearance alongside the band Phase II Pan Groove Steel Orchestra, accompanied by the pan sensation, Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe. “Excitement and nervousness consumed me at this performance, knowing that it was the renowned Boogsie Sharpe. However, as soon as I graced the stage, everything flowed smoothly, which made it an evening to remember,” she said, reminiscing on her debut appearance..
With collaborations from Jazz musicians such as Clive ‘Zanda’ Alexander, Theron Shaw, Sean Thomas, Ray Holman, Raf Robinson, Ron Reid and Pan Sun Steel of Boston, Vaughnette has carved a name for herself in the local jazz scene.

One of the most momentous highlights of her career was being awarded a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music Summer Performance Programme in 2008, which she took full advantage of. Knowing that she was given a talent for a reason, Vaughnette is now devoted to it more than ever, since she believes that her purpose is not yet fulfilled.

With limited outlets and avenues locally for jazz, Vaughnette’s greatest challenge of creativity and self-expression through jazz cannot be fulfilled on a full-time basis locally. However, she believes success and challenges goes hand in hand and sticking with one’s dream is what helps a person overcome any obstacle.
“Most time people only see the upside to success and believe that it ends there, but it takes constant hard work, along with a few disappointments and headaches. The key however, is never giving up at the first sign of rejection; if it is something you are passionate about, then its okay to go after it and do it to the best of your ability,” she explained.

As she takes it to another level, Jazz lovers can find ultimate satisfaction in Shades of Vaughnette-The Concert Experience. The show will be held tomorrow at Naparima Bowl and features an evening of jazz and world music with performances from Ron Reid, Frankie Mc Intosh, Theron Shaw, David Ricards, Tony Woodruffe and more.