A host of musicians and singers thrilled audiences at the just ended April edition of Afro Classical Nights, a bi-monthly event at the historic Ghana Club featuring live performances of Western Classical Music and folk and contemporary African works.
The volunteer-run event, now in its fifth year, regularly sees amateur and beginner performers share the stage with seasoned professionals from Ghana and beyond.
The international acts at the April show included Divya Kamath, Senna Punjabi and Maximilian Westermann, from Canada, India and Germany respectively. They performed alongside local talents such as pianists Julius Richardson, Constant Ahadzivia and the violinist Emmanuel “Fiifi Flawless” Quayson.
The event was well attended, with its audience composed of young classical music enthusiasts and performers and members of the business and diaspora communities in the capital.
The show also highlighted traditional kete drumming by student and percussionist Joel Opare. During an educational moment, Joel walked the audience through some differences between kete and adowa rhythms, and the liberties he took in creating his original composition, “Kete mu freestyle”.
Audiences were also treated to the music of Arnold Schoenberg, the famous German theorist and composer whose atonal music is rarely performed in Ghana, in spite of its global influence and enduring appeal. A piece from his “6 Orchestra Songs” was sung by Alberta Opata.
A number of original compositions by Kwaku Boakye-Frempong were also performed by Constant Ahadzivia, Divya and One Voice Choir’s Naa Sackey.
Afro Classical Nights continues to shine a light on Accra’s growing classical music community as it engages academics and entertainers from around the world on its platform. The show takes place on the last Friday of every other month.
The Afro Classical Nights concert was a resounding success, attracting a diverse crowd of music lovers and cultural enthusiasts.
It was an excellent showcase of the power of music to bring people together and bridge cultural divides.
