Nigeria: International Laurels for the Lagos City Chorale 29 July 2013 , Source: This Day. http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201307291309.html/

This is another celebration time for the Sir
Emeka Nwokedi-led Lagos City Chorale. The
effervescent Nigerian choir is basking in the
glory of the two gold and two silver
diplomas it won at the first European Choir
Games held in Graz, Austria from July 13 to
22.
With this feat, it engraved Nigeria's name in
the hall of fame as the participating nation
with the highest number of awards in the
Austrian Open Competition for choirs from
all over the world. The laurels were won in
the four categories it contested in - namely
Folklore, Music of the Religions, Music
Contemporanea and Mixed Choir.
As part of this global choral festival in Graz,
Lagos City Chorale also took part in two
friendship concerts in Murau, a typical
Austrian village with great antiquity and
Schloss Eggernberg in Graz. The group
performed in Songs of Spirit Festival in
Minoritensaal, Graz (met with the city's
mayor) and in Heiligenkreuz a. Waasen. The
Song of Spirit Festival is conceived to bring
together people of different religions and to
foster peace and unity amongst them using
the medium and potency of harmonious
choral music. The choir was also invited to
lead the service in a Catholic Church at
Heilingenkreuz a. Wassen on Sunday July
22.
The 10-day European Choir Games drew
over 50 choirs from different countries of the
world to contest in the Austrian Open
Competition. Each choir displayed the best
of her country's culture through indigenous
choral music, costume and choreography.
Nigeria's Lagos City Chorale, as the only
choir from Africa in attendance, was the
cynosure of all eyes. The sparkling and
varied costumes in national colours did not
go unnoticed as they were cheered with loud
ovations in public places and after each
performance. Their performances which
attracted large audiences were adjudged to
be of high standard by the international jury,
hence the top awards. They were indeed
specially selected with other choirs to
perform at the closing concert at Congress
Graz.
The 1st European choir games/festival was
brought to a climactic close by colourful
parade of participating nations, which
commenced at Stubenberggasse, Graz
through some major streets to Congress
Graz. Here the Mayor of the City of Graz,
Siegfried Nagl accompanied by
representatives of the City of Graz expressed
great pleasure over the success of the 10-
day global event. The President of
Interkultur, Günter Titsch in his speech
conferred on Graz the World's Music Capital
in appreciation of regular hosting of
International Music Festivals. There was
interaction galore among participants from
all over the world.
Lagos City Chorale has in the past few years
been showcasing Nigeria's positive abilities
in the world's centre stages through
participating and winning laurels for Nigeria
in global chorale music festivals and
competitions. In July 2012, the group
participated in the 7th World Choir Games in
Cincinnati Ohio, USA and won three Silver
Medals in three different categories of the
champions' competition.
The choir, it will be recalled, recently marked
its 25th anniversary at the Agip Recital Hall
of the MUSON Centre Onikan, Lagos. The
event had attracted several dignitaries as
well as choristers from the Musical Society
of Nigeria. It was also marked with a hearty
rendition of Georg Friedrich Handel's "The
Messiah", which was delivered as composed
in three parts.