By Kehinde Bamigbetan
From 24 choirs to three, the stiff contest at the Ojaja Arena Hall of the Hotels & Resort, Ile-ife got everyone on the edge of their seats.
Not even His Imperial Majesty, Babatunde Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, took his eyes off the stage, not willing to miss a beat or pitch.
It was Easter Monday. The seats in the large banquet hall were filled with choristers robed in various colours and members of the public who thronged the venue to feed their eyes.
The stage was well-equipped. Lights rolled, throwing their colours at the stage in beautiful sequences.
The drums were set. The organ, microphones, and speakers were regulated. The stage was set for the brave.
There had been an earlier contest of 24 choirs pruned to 12. The 12 were asked to perform within six minutes in the second round.
The choirs cut across Christian denominations: Anglican, Catholic, Celestial, Pentecostal, and Methodist.
Each conductor came with a stand. As soon as the choir came on stage, the conductor mounted the stand and began to guide the singers into the soul-lifting hymns in Yoruba and English.
Hymns such as Jesu ti Joba, Olorun Dada l’Olorun tawa, Mo duro le Kristi Apata, Gbogbo Aye Juba Re.
With Biodun Olanrewaju and Olayinka Ibikunle as masters of the ceremony and a panel of vigilant judges assessing performances, we got to the final list of four choirs after four hours of rendition of hymns.
They were the Catholic Church of Perpetual Light, St Paul’s Anglican Church, Celestial Church of Tabernacle, and GOFAMINT.
At stake were five prizes donated by His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Ogunwusi: N1million for the winner, N500,000 for the First Runner Up, N250,000 for the Second Runner Up, N150,000 for the Best Robed or Dressed Choir and N150,000 for the Best Music Conductor. Others got consolation prizes.
Speaking at the event, the Ooni of Ife expressed his joy by recalling how he loved to sing hymns in childhood.
He thanked the organizers including Sooko Gboyega Ogunwusi who suggested the idea of a festival of songs at Easter.
The Ooni was there with his wives, Olori Aderonke Ogunwusi and Olori Tope Ogunwusi.
Even before it was announced, you could feel the consensus that the Catholic Church of Perpetual Light would carry the day. The creativity in weaving a dance drama into their performance was unique and they had different uniform dresses each time on stage.
The thoughts of the people turned out to be the verdict of the judges. The choir won the contest and it was quite understandable that its conductor also went home with the prize for the Conductor of the Year.
The Celestial Church of Tabernacle was second.No doubt, their choreography and musical arrangement boosted their chances and displaced St Paul’s to third place.
But the Choir was not sad. It won the additional prize as the best-robed choir, carting N400,000 to the Cathedral.
Beyond the prizes, the choir provided great entertainment. The oldies among them were singled out for commendation.
Considering that it was the maiden event, the clockwork event flow was exceptional. Surely, the next edition will attract more.
In his words, His Imperial Majesty told the audience that the event and other festivals were designed to attract tourists so that people would have one reason to see the cradle of the Yoruba as a place to visit, relax and enjoy entertainment.