To this end the society has disclosed plans to build in the capital city a state-of-the-art music and performing arts complex. In an interview with NEXT, De Schimillen talks about the group’s plans to upgrade arts infrastructure in Abuja.
The building
What we done until now is to get a plot of land and have the choir in place but what we don’t have is the building itself. I guess we will take around three to four years to complete it. The project itself is very interesting.
We will bring people from abroad to train a group that will be training others, starting with the kids. After a few years, Nigeria would have trained a pool of singers and musicians to International [standards]. If you look at it like it will take a long time, you will never start. My dream is that AMEMUSO as a society, even when I am not here, will work in collaboration with the European Cultural Centre so there will be input from abroad. We are looking to having a real performing arts centre in the federal capital of Nigeria which cost about N5 billion.
Participation and membership of the society will be at no cost at all. If you have talent, come we will develop it.
Abundant Talent
I am here working so hard because I believe the talent is immense. It is just unbelievable. As an opera singer, singing all over the world, I think the quality and capacity of Nigerians in the music industry is immense. The problem here is that you do not have music schools. Nigerians learn very fast but if you do not have music school and international instructors, then you do not develop talents.
That is why our music school will also be for kids. It takes decades to build a professional. When young people here come for AMEMUSO audition, I see incredible talents but wasted years. They were not guided and directed early in life so they spend their years in other professions. But if they were to be in Europe or America and had the chance to learn and develop their talents, they would been great singers - not just opera but jazz or other aspects of music. If it is talent here, I can say yes it is available, if it is ability I will also yes, everything is yes without a moment of hesitation but what are they doing with it?
Nigeria is not exploring and exploiting fully its potential in music. You have to open the door so that people can see you. It is like diamond hidden a closet. Expose your cultures abroad - from opera to Fela Kuti music, expand the spectrum.
How it started
As a Chilean opera singer performing in Europe, I would have never thought to come to Nigeria. The reason I am here is because I am the wife of German Ambassador. I have been working on cultural projects many years parallel to my career as a singer. In Chile, I started with a similar project to Opera Abuja and AMEMUSO as well. It was very beautiful combining non-traditional elements, combining things that are completely different, that normally happen in countries like Europe and South America.
I got to know my husband through the project. When they told us to come to Nigeria, I thought I was dead as a singer. What will I find in Nigeria? I asked. But when we came here, during our national day, I sang the national anthem of Nigeria and Germany.
A couple of Nigerians listened to that and after approached me saying they wanted me to help a group and that is what I like so much. I went to see them and it was a church group and we decided to work. From that group we decide to make a concert and thought about creating a society that can do a festival, and have children choir also. Some Nigerians were involved and we tried to make it happen.
From that group emerged Opera Abuja and we are already on the 4th edition of the festival, an international event where people from all the world witness.
Teaching Nigerians to write music
After the second Opera Abuja we thought of getting a piece of land for setting up a music school which will also have a theatre, because there is only one in Nigeria - like that in Lagos (Muson Centre). No other place in Nigeria has a theatre and a concert hall. Things are getting in line and the next Opera Abuja will be a conclusion of a lot of things in that regard. We will do a fund-raiser to raise money for building this incredible music or Art Performing Complex. We need to start. We will also teach Nigerians how to write music. We sing but we do not have the knowledge about writing and storing our songs over time. A lot of us rely on storing the melody in our brain. Time, talent and commitment are what are required to develop the cultural pedigree of a nation.
Opera Abuja 2010 holds at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on November 15. (Culled from NEXT)
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