Manda Wilderness Choir Festival

June 5, 5:00pm - Choir Festival in Cobue, Mozambique for the 16 surrounding villages

May, 2010 - Musical masterclass sessions delivered in every village

Like in most African cultures, music in the Niassa District of Mozambique is an integral part of life; each village has between one and three choirs organized through local churches.  However, the local people have had neither exposure to formal musical education nor a venue in which to perform their talents.  MWCT is therefore seeking funding to deliver musical training and organize a choir festival to share the joy of music across sixteen Nyanja villages.  Any size donation will be appreciated to enable this wonderful event.   All Nyanja people, regardless of age, gender, or religion, will be grateful for your support!

1.      Village Masterclasses

The masterclass sessions will provide basic musical education to one choir in each of the sixteen villages of the Manda Wilderness Community Conservation Area.   The sessions will be delivered in May with one day of musical training per village.  Having background and experience in choral singing, conducting, and musical education I will administer the masterclass sessions as a volunteer for Manda Wilderness with the aid of a local translator.

2.      Choir Festival

The choir festival will take place on Saturday, June 5th, 2010 and will include sixteen villages.  Choirs will perform together in nearby Cobue, the local administrative centre, inside a roofless, colonial-era stone church.  Villages will select twenty of their best singers amongst existing Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Seventh Day Adventist choirs to enter the competition.  The performances will be evaluated by a table of 4-5 judges.

Time and budget permitting, the festival will include performances by local Malawian musical celebrities, a drum-off, and a dance-off.  The masterclass includes a “song-learning workshop” to teach each choir one new, simple, African song to vary their repertoire and musical knowledge.  With every choir having learned this song, they will be able to perform the piece together as one mass choir to finish the festival with a grand, unified sound.

For more information about the event, feel free to contact fiona.b.ellis@gmail.com.  Thank you for your support!

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