When this year’s MUSON Festival begins on October 14, the Musical Society of Nigeria, which organises the annual event, will celebrate the achievements of present and former students of the School of Music established in 1989. Aptly themed ‘Celebrating the School of Music: The Arts through Young Nigerian Eyes’, the festival, which lasts till October 25, will begin with the youth concert featuring the seven finalists for this year’s MusiQuest.
This was made known during a press briefing at the MUSON Centre recently in Onikan, Lagos, the same venue for the week-long fiesta.
Vice Chairman of the MUSON, Louis Mbanefo (SAN); Chair, Festival Planning Committee, Kitoyi Ibare-Akinsan; General Manager, MUSON, Gboyega Banjo; Director, MUSON School of Music, Marion Akpata, and one of the patrons, Francesca Emanuel, were among those that interfaced with the media at the briefing.
My Kind of Music, which features distinguished guests discussing their favourite music, will hold the next day. On the bill this year are Consul-General, South African Consulate-General, Lagos, Ambassador M. S. Monaisa; Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Osagie Okunbor; Deputy Director, MUSON School of Music, Edna Soyanwo; and Head, Energy and Natural Resources, FBN Capital, Rolake Akinkugbe.
This year’s festival drama is Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical, Jesus Christ Super Star. To take place on October 16 and 17, it is produced by Uche Nwokedi’s Playhouse Initiative. The MUSON Symphony Orchestra conducted by its German inspirational Visiting Conductor, Walter-Michael Vollhardt, will handle the classical concert which will hold on October 18.
Other events on the programme include the MUSON Diploma School Festival Recital, the Jazz Night featuring current students and alumni of the MUSON School of Music and a dance concert titled ‘The Gathering’, a partnership between the MUSON and the Society of the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN). It will feature dance studios across Lagos.
The Emeka Nwokedi-led MUSON Choir and the School Orchestra will perform Arthur Sullivan and W. S. Gilbert’s ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ to close the festival on October 25.
Mbanefo said during his presentation that apart from holding regular concerts for the past 32 years, MUSON also established a school to teach young people music theory and how to play musical instruments.
He expressed happiness over the growth and achievements of the school that has since become a diploma-awarding institution accredited by the Ministry of Education and the Music Examination Board in England. Explaining that the society decided to showcase its products this year since it has come of age, Mbanefo said that MUSON is not elitist but believes “that the pursuit of classical music is an important discipline for our youth and a source of spiritual fulfilment, not to mention employment, throughout their lives”.
Ibare-Akinsan, Banjo and Akpata all echoed Mbanefo when it was time for them to speak.
For Ibare-Akinsan, this year’s theme is designed to “draw attention to the significant progress that the school has made since it was established, first as a Basic School in 1989 and more especially since the Diploma School came on stream in 2005”.
Banjo said “the school has trained thousands of students, mainly young boys and girls, in its Basic School and in the last 10 years about 200 students have graduated from its Diploma School”.
Akpata said despite the progress the school has made, the country still faces a “daunting challenge to make music education available to all of our children”.
Among those performing are The School Big Band led by Lt. Cdr Abayomi Odujobi (rtd.) and Navy Lieutenant Enesi Salawu (rtd); the Jazz Quintet led by jazz trumpeter, Etuk Ubong; The School Jazz Band and The Girlz Rule Band; Philip Uzo and Ranti Ihimoyan.
