Nigeria: Lagos Chorale Wins At Global Contest 1 August 2013 , By Japhet Alakam, Source: Vanguard. http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201308010287.html/

It was another credit to Nigeria, especially
music lovers as one of the country's choir
group, the Lagos City Chorale which
participated in the first European Choir
Games,Austrian Open Competition for choirs
worldwide made the country proud by carting
away the highest number of awards at the
event held in Graz, Austria.
The choir directed by the maestro, Sir Emeka
Nwokedi, won two gold and two silver
Diplomas which made Nigeria the only
participating nation with the highest number
of awards.
The group which celebrated its 25th
anniversary recently contested in four
categories (Folklore, Music of the Religions,
Music Contemporanea and Mixed Choir) in
the competition.
As part of this global choral festival, the
Lagos City Chorale also participated in two
friendship concerts in Murau, an Austrian
village with great antiquity. The group
performed in Songs of Spirit Festival in
Minoritensaal, Graz (met the Mayor of Graz)
and in Heiligenkreuz a. Waasen. The Song
of Spirit Festival is designed to bring
together people of different religions and to
foster peace and unity amongst them using
the medium and potency of harmonious
choral music.
Lagos City Chorale was also invited and,
they led the service in a Catholic Church at
Heilingenkreuz a Wassen on Sunday July
22.
The 10-day event brought together over 50
choirs from different countries 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 being 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 specially selected
with other choirs to perform at the closing
concert at Congress Graz.
The festival was brought to a climactic close
with colourful parade of participating
nations which commenced at
Stubenberggasse, Graz through some major
streets to Congress Graz.