Charleston Symphony Orchestra arrive in Ghana for Choral Festival

The saying that music is a universal language was made evident on Wednesday when the Dansoman Youth Choir performed to welcome the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s (CSO) Spiritual Ensemble and Gospel Choir at the Kotoka International Airport.

The two groups from Charleston, South Carolina in the United States, immediately began to dance, obviously enjoying the music even though they could not understand what was being said.

When the youth choir began to sing English songs, though with Ghanaian rhythm, they immediately joined in, forming a mass choir right there.

Mr. Lee Pringle, Founder and President of both groups who are in Ghana to perform at the Africa Choral Festival taking place from March 10 to 13, described the voices and harmonies sang by the choir as “unique and Ghanaian”.

“I’m loving this, the harmonies and the voices are so unique and Ghanaian, I’m hearing harmonies that would be difficult for us to do,” he said. “We hope to exchange knowledge and experiences with the other choirs.”

Mr. Pringle said music was very instrumental in tourism as it was a universal language that everybody understood. “No matter what language you speak, harmonies and rhythms are undisturbed. We are looking forward to singing African and gospel music.”

Baba Jamal, the Deputy Minister of Tourism who met them on arrival, said they had come home and encouraged them to see Ghanaians as their brothers and sisters.

He said government saw their visit as very important as it would also help to boost tourism.

The Africa Choral Festival dubbed: “Africa Sing Aloud” is being organized by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture and the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) under the theme: “Celebrating Culture through Choral Music’’.

Mr. Ben Ohene-Ayeh, Manager Special Events-GTA, said the Festival, which comes off at the National Theatre March 10th and on the 11th March at the Cape Coast Castle, was the first ever choral festival in Africa where choral groups from around the world would converge in Ghana for the purpose of using choral music as a tool for promoting Ghana’s Tourism.

He explained that the festival was aimed at encouraging tourism and to create an opportunity for people to appreciate Ghanaian choral music.

“Choral music is popular among peoples in Europe and other parts of the world and we want to make Ghana a destination for choral music, where choral music lovers, choirs and other people can come to annually,” he stated.

It would also to help revive choral music in Ghana through competitions so as to strengthen choral groups in Ghana to get the global stage and to export elements of our culture through music.

Participating choirs include the CSO Spiritual Ensemble and Choir, three Ghanaian choirs selected through regional competitions: Tanokrom Philharmonic Choir, from the Brong Ahafo Region; the Prophetic Voices of Winneba-Central Region; and the Ashanti Region’s Amemreso Youth Choir.

The Winneba Youth Choir would also perform as guest artists. Others are: Le Pèlerins de Christ, from Benin, Spaghetti Opera Regina-Sweden, Voices in Harmony Choir-USA, Thornton Academy Choir-USA and First African Methodist Episcopal [FAME] Church Choir - USA.

The Festival promises to showcase the best of Ghanaian culture through choral music. Participating choirs will have the opportunity to socialize and learn from each other; to perform individually or as part of a mass choir.

They would be led by invited conductors: Dr. André Thomas (USA), Dr. Henri Pompidor (France), Dr. Andrea Angelini (Italy) and Stephan Lutermann (Germany).