By Tajudeen Sowole
AFTER
wining gold and silver at various global cultural events, including Choir
Olympics, Lagos City Chorale has again lifted Nigeria high at the just held
International Music Festival and Competition in Magdeburg, Germany.
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| Lagos City Chorale during 2015 International Music Festival and Competition in Magdeburg, Germany |
A
statement from the leader of the Nigerian choir to Germany, Sir Emeka Nwokedi
said over 100 choirs drawn from 35 countries across the world participated at
various levels of the festival, which included competitive categories and non-
competitive programme.
Held from July 5 to 12, 2015, the event’s award ceremonies, which ran for three days, saw Lagos City Chorale winning a Golden Diploma Award for each of the three categories and a special Diploma Of Honour.
“At the award ceremonies which was held between 9 and 11 July, the Director of Lagos City Chorale was invited to the podium three times to receive a Golden Diploma Award for each of the three categories the choir contested in,” Nwokedi who led a 30-man Choir of the Lagos City Chorale stated.
He continued: “In addition, Lagos City Chorale, Nigeria received a special Diploma Of Honour for contributing to the ideal of international understanding and peace initiative through music.” He disclosed how the official opening ceremony, which was held at Jonanniskirche, Magdeburg had the Nigerian group among five choirs from different continents that were “specially invited to perform for a select high profile audience.”
The event, he added, “was evidently outstanding by the reaction of the audience who gave a resounding ovation at the end of each of her performances.” It would be recalled that Lagos City Chorale has, over the years, won laurels in gold and silver for Nigeria at various world’s largest Cultural Festivals/Choir Olympics.
These laurels were won in Cincinnati, Ohio USA in 2012; Graz, Austria in 2013; and Riga, Latvia in 2014. Nwokedi noted that the performance of the group has made “Nigerian indigenous choral music spread to all nooks and crannies of the world.”
Lagos
City Chorale contested in three categories in the Open Competition – Folklore,
Chamber Choir, and Musica Contemporanea (Contemporary Music). Also, the group,
performed in two friendship concerts.
The
total number of performances, Nwokedi said, “exhibited rich Nigerian culture
embedded in her indigenous choral music, traditional music instruments, costume
and unique dance to utter admiration of a global community that constituted the
audience.”
The
group, he added, showcased Nigeria’s national attires in a colourful green and
white Adire fabrics, which made the performers “the cynosure of all eyes with
loud ovations as they paraded with other choirs along the streets of
Magdeburg.”
The
carnival-liked procession tagged ‘Parade of Nations’ from Magdebuger Dom
through the main street ‘Breiten Weg’ to the market place ‘Alten Markt’
climaxed the festival yesterday.
Lagos
City Chorale’s participation in various international cultural festivals is a
way of rebranding Nigeria and showcasing her positive abilities at
international stages, Nwokedi explained.
“It
also represents Nigeria’s contribution to foster peace and harmony in the world
through harmonious choral music as Nigerian choir sings in unison and in
harmony with choirs from other nations of the world.”
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