Accra Goes To The Opera

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), in collaboration with the Accra Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and the Rotary Club Accra East, would on Saturday, October 6, thrill city dwellers with masterpieces in classical music, opera and operatic pop.

The event would be held at the National Theatre in Accra and it is intended to raise funds to address issues of access to water and sanitation facilities in basic schools.

This will help curtail the high dropout rates, absenteeism, especially among girls, as well as the spread of preventable communicable diseases in schools resulting in poor learning outcomes.

A statement signed by Mr Gilbert Nii Ankrah, the Head of Public Relations of the AMA, and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Friday, said the first part of the concert would feature the abridged version of the Opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi.

'Innovative as they are, the ASO will rework Rigoletto, considered to be the first of the operatic masterpieces of Verdi's career, into the Ghanaian contest,' the statement said.

It said the second part of the concert would feature the latest rearranged pieces from composers in Africa and on the bill would be Nana Danso Abiam, Fela, and Yvonne Chaka Chaka among others.

It would be recalled that the AMA, in December 2017, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Accra Symphony Orchestra as parts of efforts to broaden its audience base by guiding it into different neighbourhoods, communities and schools.

'This is intended to heighten the musical experiences of our citizens and create new audiences and musicians for the orchestra,' the statement said.