Old Achimotans, Friends Storm National Theatre

Hiplife stars Tinny, Edem, Ziggy and Eazzy, over the weekend joined their colleague Richie in a magnetic concert that celebrated the contributions of old students of Achimota School to the development of music in Ghana.

Backed by the Patch Bay Band, the auditorium of the National Theatre in Accra reverberated with ingenious voices from these amazing musicians, who severally and jointly helped to acknowledge products of the Achimota Music School.

In a dramatic rendition of a rearranged version of late musicologist Dr. Ephraim Amu's ' Yen Ara Asase Ni' , the young musicians brought feelings of nostalgia to elderly members of the crowd, who could not help but join the musicians amidst catcalls and cheers.

MUSIGA president Obour as well as highlife star Pat Thomas showcased the power of collaborations between the old and young Ghanaian musicians. Indeed, it was a night of interpretations and re-interpretations.

Burger highlife exponent and former teacher of Achimota School, Ben Brako, surprised the audience with a robust and vigorous performance.

Brako, who turned 60 on the day of the concert, sent the crowd into a musical groove that recalled his exploits in Europe, United States and other parts of Africa during the 1980s.

A 30-minute documentary titled Hallelujah Chorus'', featuring the Winneba Youth Choir and divine drummer Kofi Ghanaba (also an old student) showed him as a master technician who is constantly willing to experiment.

Acclaimed conductor/old student Dinah Reindorf led the Tema Youth Choir to pay homage to Dr. Ephraim Amu with a brilliant performance of some of his compositions that revealed the hidden richness of his tunes.

Put together by the 1962 year group of old Achimotans, the concert, dubbed 'Rockin for Motown', also formed part of activities marking its 50 th anniversary. It is expected to become an annual affair that would showcase other musicians and artistes drawn from old Achimotans and their friends.

By John Owoo