can relate to that. The same thing with 
sports. Like Mike Jordan, Carl Lewis, 
they are popular among the youths 
here, they love them. Tyson, when 
Tyson came out, everybody wore his 
hairstyle. 
And, see, the DJs are playing for the 
people what they perceive that people 
love. So, I found that this Black thing, 
there is no point throwing it overboard 
because in a way it is positive. It's not 
like they are just crazy for anything 
foreign. I was also happy that they are 
not as popular as just anything white. 
I mean, country music is not as popular 
as Black music in this country. You 
still find them in the east[eastem part 
of Nigeria], especially Don Williams 
and Kenny Rogers and so on, but just 
a few of them. Most of the time it is the 
Black thing that is really hot and really 
happening, even those Black artistes 
who are not national successes in the 
US., they are big here. When Lakeside 
came to Nigeria then, Lakeside, 
Shalamar and so on, they weren't as 
big as many of the white pop and rock 
musicians. Buthere, they were mighty 
heroes. So, there is a Black thing 
happening. So, I think that, one day 
you will find a Nigerian who will 
come up with a concoction, out of 
Nigeria, not that he would go out and 
borrow something from abroad o. 
Something Nigerian. Some Nigerian 
that would really hit...and I mean, hit 
it. [GRI 
• Interview recorded by GR 
at 59 Oregun Road, Ikeja, Lagos, 
Nigeria on Friday, 24th February, 1995. 
Advertise in 
GLENDORA 
REVIEW 
Lagos, Nigeria 
Tel:(234) 01-2692762 
MUSON 
CELEBRATES IN LAGOS 
Friday 24th February, 1995 
marked the first anniversary of 
the Musical Society of Nigeria 
(MUSON) Centre, Nigeria's new 
centre of excellence forclassical music. 
Built at a cost of over N200 million, 
the Centre is an important landmark in 
the skyline of Lagos. The Musical 
Society of Nigeria has been highly 
commended for its monumental vision 
and achievement. MUSON Centre 
constitutes a rallying point for 
international and indigenous music in 
the category of classical idiom. 
Activities lined up for the celebration 
included a piano concerto by the wellknown 
British pianist, Gordon Fergus- 
Thompson under the sponsorship of 
the British Council. MrThompson also 
organised music workshops in Enugu, 
Nsukka, Abuja and Ibadan. On Friday 
February 24, two celebrated artistes, 
Herbert Druml, Austrian tenor living 
in Vienna and Kristin Okerlund, an 
American pianist also performed at the 
Centre. Their programme included the 
works of Schubert, Brahms, Fanre and 
Britten. They ended with a vocal 
workshop on Saturday March 4, 1995. 
Also on Saturday 25th February, 1995, 
Marianne Thorscn (violin) and Julian 
Milford (piano) thrilled the Centre's 
audience. The programme, sponsorec 
by BP and StaOil Alliance, featured 
selections from the works of Beethoven 
Kreisler and Wienniawski. Other 
activities were a special concert 
featuring renditions of Telemann, Gluck, 
Mozart, Chopin and Faure on Friday 
10th and Saturday 1 lth March. 
Friday 24th and Saturday 25 March, 
1995 saw Nigeria's Zeal Ony ia entertain 
alongside MUSON resident artistes. 
But how did the MUSON dream come 
about? 17551 
23
Of Strings And 
Rattling Gongs: 
1983 to Sir Mervyn Brown, KCMG, 
who was British High Commissioner 
to Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 and 
who with Lady Brown had helped to 
stimulate awareness and appreciation 
of classical music from their arrival in 
Nigeria in 1979. The High 
Commissioner and his wife who are 
proficient with musical instruments 
organised musical soirees and concerts 
in which music lovers and performers 
both in Nigeria and from foreign 
countries participated at regular 
intervals at the High Commissioner's 
residence and other venues in Lagos. 
Other embassies, notably the Italian 
and the then West German missions, 
were also encouraged to organise 
similar events with internationally 
acclaimed classical music performers 
who delighted a fast growing group of 
enthusiasts. 
Mr. Akintola Williams's approach to 
Sir Mervyn was in the form of a request 
to assist in organising a group of artistes 
and friends to form a society for 
classical music performers and 
supporters. He felt that such a group 
would include people like himself who 
'though appreciating good music, 
neither played any musical instrument 
nor could sing!' Sir Mervyn confirmed 
his preparedness to help organise such 
a group and went further to record his 
appreciation of the initiative being the 
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began with his approach on 26th May, Based on the foregoing and after 
The Story Of MUSON 
establishing a temporary secretariat in 
his residence, Mr Akintola Williams by 
mid-October, 1983 contacted Chief Ayo 
Rosiji, Patron, Mr. Louis Mbanefo, 
Vice-Chairman, Mrs. Francesca 
Emmanuel and others on a proposal to 
form a musical group. With Sir Mervyn' s 
assurance to solicit the support of artistes 
and other interests in Europe, the Goethe 
Institut of Germany and the Istituto. 
Italiano Cultura of Italy, both of whom 
had been prominent in the promotion of 
classical music in Nigeria, the stage was 
set for the establishment of a musical 
society in Lagos. 
On 25th October, 1983 a steering 
committee of the musical group met to 
map out the strategy for such a society. 
And so the Musical Society of Nigeria - 
MUSON-was born! 
did all the spade work to enable the 
steering committee to agree on the name 
of the Society, its objectives, structure, 
secretariat, administration and short and 
long- term plans. Subsequently, the 
membership of the steering committee 
was enlarged for it to draw up the 
constitution, register the Society, 
identity artistes, and work out a 
programme of performances. 
After MUSON was registered under 
the Land (Perpetual Succession) Act, 
Cap. 98, a twelve-member Board of 
Trustees was appointed to replace the 
steering committee. 
The logo for the Society, which was 
adopted in January, 1984, was designed 
by Mr Duncan McKellar, an architect 
and artiste born and bred in Mombasa, 
Kenya and very much influenced by 
indigenous African art. Mr. McKellar 
had then been in Nigeria for nearly ten 
years as a practising architect. The logo 
depicts three African musical 
instruments which he portrayed in 'a 
style traditional Nigerian and in a circle 
or wheel always turning and eternal'. 
He also designed the permanent 
programme cover for MUSON 
concerts. 
Inaugural Concert 
The inaugural concert of the Society 
took place on the 24th and 25th of 
February, 1984, at the Metropolitan 
24
Club, Victoria Island, Lagos. The Chief 
Guests of Honour at the two 
performances respectively were Chief 
(Dr) M. A. Majekodunmi , C.F.R, 
K.C.M.G., the then president of the 
Metropolitan Club, and Sir Mervyn 
Brown, K.C.M.G., O.B.E. now the 
former British High Commissioner in 
Nigeria, who came specially for the 
concert at the invitation of the Society. 
Eleven artistes, comprising Nigerians 
and expatriates, presented a repertoire 
of baroque Italian and English pieces. 
German leider, opera, classical and 
traditional Nigerian music. Since that 
first concert, MUSON has arranged an 
average of six concerts every year. In 
these ten years of MUSON's existence, 
this musical provision has been made 
possible through the voluntary 
contributions of the cream of local 
artistes, and international guest artistes 
of renown sponsored by various 
organisations. 
Schools Competition 
In pursuance of one of the objectives of 
the Society, which is the promotion of 
the education of children in the 
performance and theory of music, the 
Society started organising annual 
musical competitions for schools. The 
first competition took place in King's 
College, Lagos, in 1986 and fifteen 
schools, mainly from Lagos State and 
Ibadan, took part. The different 
categories for this first competition were 
Vocal Solo, Instrumental Solo, 
Instrumental Ensemble and Choral, and 
there were three age categories: eight 
years and under, twelve years, and fifteen 
to eighteen years. Prizes awarded were 
cash and certificates for first, second 
and third places, and performance" 
certificates for all participants. Since 
then, competitions have been held 
annually and the effort has been 
rewarding as budding talents are being 
identified and encouraged to develop 
themselves further. Two of such talents 
are now studying abroad, in Clare 
College, Cambridge and Conservatoire 
Nationale Superieur de Musique, Paris. 
made to the Lagos State Government in 
School of Music May, 1985. Approval was finally 
At a meeting held on the 4th of granted, and the state government, in 
November, 1986, the Board of Trustees addition, granted the Society certain 
set up a committee to make special concessions on ground rents and 
recommendations for the establishment on the fees for the processing of the 
of a School of Music which will building plans. 
eventually develop into an Academy of 
Music. The Committee made Structure 
recommendations on the school The Conference Hall Building, aircurriculum, 
staffing, and the temporary conditioned as are all the buildings in 
location of the school. the MUSON Centre, has on the first 
Recommendations were also made on floor an auditorium which sits one 
the funding of the school. The School thousand while the second floor houses 
was established and has been actively two Function Rooms each of which can 
functioning, teaching in temporary accommodate about two hundred people 
accommodation provided at Corona , and which can be partitioned into 
Schools in Victoria Island and Apapa smaller rooms. The auditorium is 
since February 1989, and has been suitable for hiring out for annual and 
examining since November, 1991..The extra-ordinary general meetings of small 
School now has a staff of seven, and to medium-size companies, for 
holds classes in violin, piano, recorder, conferences, symposia, trade and other 
flute, trumpet and voice, at various grade types of exhibitions, official receptions 
levels. So far over 500 candidates have 
been examined at various grades. In 
addition, the School has a programme 
of weekend and vacation courses for 
teachers to update their knowledge and 
improve their practical skills in their 
chosen instruments. 
and social functions. It is most ideal for 
popularmusic concerts, and forclassical 
music concerts on occasions when die 
Recital Hall is considered inadequate 
(until such time as the larger Concert 
Hall envisaged for Phase II is built). 
There is a stage capable of 
accommodating a medium size orchestra 
of seventy to eighty instrumentalists, 
two Green Rooms for the use of artistes, 
and two Buffet bars with pantries. 
Site 
In furtherance of the objectives of the 
Society, the Board of Trustees as far 
back as early 1984 started looking for 
land for MUSON building in suitable 
locations in Lagos. Out of several 
possibilities on Lagos Island and at 
Ikoyi, the piece of land that was chosen 
as most suitable by the Society was 
located at Onikan area of Lagos Island 
opposite the National Museum. An 
application for a grant of the land was 
The Music School, in the building 
adjacent to the Conference hall, provides 
permanent and purpose-built 
accommodation for students, who 
previously have been receiving their 
instruction in temporary 
accommodation at the Corona Schools 
in Apapa and Victoria Island. IGRI 
In pursuance of one of the oijecUves of the Society, tufcch is 
the promotion of the education of children in the performance 
and theory of music, the Society started organising annual 
musical competitions for schools. 
: • • • • • • • •