It was praises galore for the Total Group in Nigeria on Sunday, 5-Nov2006, when the Choral Concert sponsored by Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria was held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos. The comendations were given by the Chairman, Board of Governors of MUSON Centre, Chief Femi Adeniyi-Williams and numerous members of the audience.

In particular, they shook hands with the General Manager, Public Affairs of the Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria, and congratulated for directing that African, especially Nigerian folk songs be scored, practised and performed in a classical format to preserve them and make them accessible to a wider musico-artistic audience.

The Choral Concert was part of the activities of the The MUSON Festival 2006.

The songs rendered and dances performed that evening were by members of The MUSON Festival Orchestra and Choir with Mr. Emeka Nwokedi as the Conductor. Part the First of the concert featured the rendition of the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791). The songs included "Kyrie", "Gloria", "Credo", "Sanctus", "Benedictus" and "Angus Dei", all part of Mozart's "Coronation Concert".

If Part the First could be described as entertaining, Part the Second, ably tagged "Choral Africana", was simply fantastic.

The members of The MUSON Festival Choir were clad in colourful attires sewn from local (Ankara) fabrics. The various styles, the standing arrangement on stage, the lighting and the decorations combined to give the entire hall a fantastic ambience for good music and in-depth listening.

There were twelve songs in this African songs segment - "Oyigiyigi", a Nigerian (Yoruba) song, three South African songs, one after another - "Ndawana", "Nareserebina" and "Bawo Thixo Somandla". The audience also listened to "Duniya", a Nigerian (Hausa) song, "Gbogbo Aye Ranti Mozart (Highlife for Mozart, composed by a Nigerian member of the MUSON Choir), followed by the famous - "Omopupa", orginally composed by Victor Olaiya, the great Nigerian trumpeter.

Other songs rendered were "Mobo Me Senkuda", a Ghanaian song in Twi dialect; "Jesu Mwen Mamwode", a Nigerian song from the Edo speaking area; "Yo Yama Ho", a Nigerian Ijaw song and "Yak Itoro Obong Abasi", an Efik song. Concluding and bringing the concert to a crescendo was "Ekworo Nwunye Di", a Nigerian song in Igbo that was also dramatised by the troupe.

This last song got a standing ovation and a request by the audience for an encore which was graciously granted by the orchestra and choir.

It was indeed a night of laughter, good music and fun and a presigious way of drawing the curtains on the 2006 MUSON Festival.

The pictures below complete the interesting story of the night to remember for a long time

A panoramic view of the stage, the performing artistes and part of the attentive audience.	Left to right, front row, are Mr. John Addeh, Princess Omene Addeh, Mrs. A. Addeh and Mrs. Marraud des Grottes at the concert.
Mr. & Mrs. Guenot watching the performance.	Dancing time on stage.
Left to right are the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Addeh, Mrs. Marraud des Grottes and another guest at the end of the concert.	Some of the artistes at the concert.
A cross section of the audience. First from left, on the front row, is the Managing Director of SNEPCO, Mr. Chima Ibeneche. Third from left is Mrs. Oye Williams, wife of Chief Akintola Williams, former Chairman of MUSON Centre.