Music Society of Nigeria announces 2018 festival

Details of the upcoming festival, celebrating its 22nd anniversary, were made public during a press briefing on 13 September in the Foyer of the Agip Recital Hall in the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

At the briefing, the chairman of the festival planning committee, Kitoye Ibare-Akinsan, was represented by Femi Akinkugbe, who said MUSON's board and its planning committee were "excited to announce the varieties of events planned for her 22nd annual MUSON Festival".

“The Festival commences with two major events: MusiQuest/ Youth Concert – featuring several young musicians constantly emerging in Nigeria," she added. "The Youth Concert is a competition that provides a platform of self-expression for these young budding artists and, on Wednesday 17 October, will flag off the final phase of this competition.

"The other opening event is the Festival Art Exhibition – Music Meets Art, in partnership with the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) led by Oliver Enwonwu. The exhibition will officially open on Wednesday 17 October and will continue until 28 October. A special highlight of the exhibition is the Dinner and Art Auction, which will be held on Wednesday 24 October."

The popular My Kind of Music event takes place on Thursday 18 October. "As usual, guests will be taken on a musical journey through the memories, experiences and life philosophies of four outstanding individuals," said Akinkugbe. "First, an acclaimed art curator and founder of an internationally recognized film festival, who is also a member of the marketing & fundraising committee at MUSON, Ugoma Adegoke; second, a jazz enthusiast, promoter and founder of the Lagos Jazz Series, Oti Bazunu; third, media mogul and chairman of the Guardian newspapers, Lady Maiden Alex Ibru; fourth, lawyer and honorary secretary of the board of trustees of MUSON, Adeyemi Akisanya."

Other events include a three-day musical drama production, Legends, highlighting selected ancient African kings and kingdoms and a production of Don Giovanni. This edition’s MUSON Day is scheduled for Thursday 25 October. A special members' day event, it marks the founding of the society. The new MUSON Chamber Orchestra will be officially launched on this day.

The annual Festival Jazz Party will take place, as will a festival drama. This edition features Such is Life, a play by Femi Osofisan, which will show on Saturday, October 27.

The Festival will close on 28 October with a performance by the MUSON Choir and its Chamber Orchestra, directed by Nigeria’s ace conductor Emeka Nwokedi. The event will feature a special appearance by the MUSON Junior Choir, featuring young singers between the ages of five and 15, led by Raphael Francis and Perpetual Atife, members of the MUSON School Alumnus.

At the conference, MUSON's CEO Gboyega Banjo thanked the event's stakeholders, saying that they “share in the festival ideals for the implementation of its activities and projects.”

For more information on the MUSON Festival of the Arts, click here.