Church, club, music school hold concert to mark golden anniversary

The Diocese of Lagos Mainland Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in conjunction with Morehouse Glee Club, an all-male choral group led by David Morrow from Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and TKE Philips School for music recently held a concert at the Cathedral Church of St. Jude Ebute Meta, Lagos to mark the 50th anniversary of Morehouse’s first visit to Nigeria.

It was a moment of refreshing for lovers of classical music, as the choral group performed a repertoire of African and American songs to the admiration of the congregation and attract applause.

According to Morrow, the Morehouse College Glee Club is rooted in Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s legacy. Dr. King, who sang in the Morehouse College Glee Club, was one of the notable alumni of the historically black college in the United States of America.

The Morehouse Glee Club 50th anniversary tour of Nigeria is supported in part by a public diplomacy grant of the U.S. Mission to Nigeria and showcases the United States’ strong commitment to strengthening cultural relations between Nigeria and the U.S.

The 1972 visit to Nigeria infused African music into the Glee Club’s tradition and American Choral music in general. Fifty years later, choirs across the United States sang in Nigerian languages, highlighting the long-term impact of that exchange.

The highlight of the night, however, was a joint rendition of the Yoruba song titled, “Edumare Seun Fun Mi” by the Morehouse Glee choral group in collaboration with the Lagos State University choir conducted by David Aina, the Lagos City chorale and the Diocesan Choir of the Lagos Mainland, Anglican Communion.

The club has since learned a variety of songs in Edo, Yorùbá, Hausa and Igbo, including a piece specifically composed for them by Igwe Laz Ekwueme, famed Nollywood actor and University of Lagos professor.