One of the primary goals of the newly-formed African Confederation for Choral Music (ACCM) is to present a Cantat festival on the continent of Africa. After considering various countries and cities, Nairobi, Kenya, has been selected as the host city for the first-ever, inaugural Africa Cantat festival. Kenya is a popular tourist destination for both Africans and non-Africans and is considered a safe country for visitors. Most importantly, Kenya has a rich choral life, and the Kenyan choral community has recently established the Kenyan Choral Directors’ Trust.
On August 17-18, 2018, a small steering committee met in Nairobi to begin designing and developing the event. Committee members included Kennedy Okeyo Wakia (Kenya, Vice-President of the African Confederation for Choral Music - ACCM), Lucien Mendy (Senegal, ACCM Secretary), Sonja Greiner (ECA-EC Secretary General), and Thierry Thiébaut (A Coeur Joie International President and IFCM Vice-President). This gathering of international choral leaders was a promising, important step forward in the planning and organisation of Africa Cantat 2020. The two days were filled with 15 meetings and visits to multiple venues for concerts, workshops, accommodations, and other Africa Cantat events. The committee was delighted to meet Emily Akuno (President of the International Music Council) during these two fruitful days of dreaming and scheming. The Africa Cantat steering committee is excited to share a description of the project with the international choral community.
(picture below, from left to right: Ken Wakia, Sonja Greiner, Emily Akuno and Thierry Thiébaut)
Official magazine of the International Federation for Choral Music, the International Choral Bulletin is published quarterly in the four official languages of IFCM: English, French, German and Spanish. It is distributed in more than 80 countries on the five continents and is the official voice of choral music around the world.
Read moreOur focus at the moment is to unite the choral calendars of international choral organisations. Meanwhile please consult the calendar of choral events published by the European Choral Association - Europa Cantat here.
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