Lagos City Chorale wins three gold medals in Germany

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.

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.”