A Thank You Note from the director of "The Queen's Suite"

Filmmaker Corine DhondeeI received an email from Corine Dhondee, the director of "The Queen's Suite", earlier this morning.

To refresh your memory, it's a film about a young jazz musician named Peter Edwards, Duke Ellington, the Queen of England, a 15 piece orchestra and a dream driven by passion.

There was an online fundraiser. And guess what? You made it happen! "The Queen's Suite" will be finished! It will be distributed to schools nationally and internationally to spur on young musicians and also guide young people who wish to explore the creative arts!! YAY!

Here is Ms. Dhondee's note:

WE DID IT, yes 20 days after Elements of Jazz posted the review about The Queen's Suite on Kickstarter we have raised our funds and we will also help to set up Stoma Baby as an online charity.

It is great news and everyone involved with the process is extremely happy and proud. We could not have done it without the support of family, friends, and online media platforms such as Elements of Jazz.

Our supporters include Adam Sieff, Jennie Cashman, Janine Irons MBE and Gary Crosby OBE at Dune Music, Sebastian Scotney at LondonJazz, Donna M at Elements of Jazz, Allaboutjazz, Films & Festivals, OBV, TY the hip-hop music producer, the distinguished executive producer Christopher Hird, the excellent composer Michael Nyman, Jason Hawes the co-producer in Canada, and last but not least, Peter Edwards the Musical Director, arranger and pianist whose dream the film follows, Peter's family, my family, friends and friends of friends. 

All have brought us together and have enabled the documentary to succeed. And I thank everyone with all my heart. It's wonderful that we have had such great access, write-ups, and reviews. Whilst Kickstarter has enabled us to achieve our goal. A big shout out to the folks at Kickstarter.

Once the documentary is finished it will go into schools nationally and internationally to spur on young musicians and also guide young people who wish to explore the creative arts.

Friends we will be sipping cold beers and mango lassies laced with rum whilst listening to jazz that will make you want to tear your clothes off, and as Zora Neale Hurston once wrote, "paint your body rainbow colours and dance wildly as your pulse throbs like a war drum".

You'd better believe it

You can read the full update on Kickstarter http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2063865364/the-queens-suite-a-young-jazz-musicians-dream-to-p/posts/27676 and you can also be updated on The Queen's Suite page on Facebook.

Thank you,

Corine