Interview – ‘I Can Say I Learnt Choral Music from The Best’

In the choral music sector in Nigeria, especially south-west of the country, the name Mr Nnamdi Amadi,rings a bell. Aside the fact that he is the director of Trinity Chorale, one of the frontliners, his passion with that genre of musical entertainment comes with a difference – it is more of humanitarianism that anything else. In this interview with correspondent, ANSELM MARTINS, he sheds more light.

We know choral music is not the only thing that you do, what other line of business are you involved in?     

I have a regular day-to-day job. I work for an automobile firm – Elizade (Toyota) Nigeria Ltd, and also run an entertainment business on the side.

Could you please recall for us, the journey as a Choirmaster-General for both the Lagos chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Lagos Catholic Archdiocesan Choir as well as the music Director of the Trinity Chorale?

Like every other musician, I started as a church choir boy, at a pretty young age of 12.  I rose through the ranks at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Yaba.I just entered secondary school JSS1 when i joined St. Dominic’s choir. I started as an alto boy, and then moved to soprano.I was driven with passion. I am a very competitive person, so when it comes to music, that spirit of excelling drove me basically.

So, I rose from being a choir boy to Assistant Choirmaster and later Acting Choirmaster. My Choirmaster then who brought me up was – God rest his soul – Mr Brendan Eka (Late). He was the Choirmaster of St Dominic’s Choir in those days. I joined with the likes of Benneth Ogbeiwi (Uncle Ben of Project Fame), and we all grew through the ranks. Of course, I later became the first Parish Choirmaster-General in the year 2000 and was appointed in 2012 as the Choirmaster-General of the Christian Association of Nigeria Lagos, a position I held until 2018. I was also appointed by the Archdiocesan Musical Commission in 2012 as the Chairman, Choirmasters’ Forum and in 2013 as Choirmaster-General of the Archdiocesan Choir (Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos).

We have heard people refer to you as the best Choirmaster in Lagos if not Nigeria; what is it that stands you out? Could it be the way you teach, or what? 

Well, it’s people that say so. I don’t tag myself as the best because I always believe in improving myself. However, I can beat my chest and say I learned from the best, having worked with the best in Africa. I believe one of my mentors is the best in Africa; he is a living legend, still very much around now – His Royal Highness, Prof. Laz Ekwueme and I learnt very well from him.

May be, people are saying I am the best choirmaster because music being an art is an expression and people see what you do. So, if people see what I do, the way I teach, the way I train apart from the fact that I had won some laurels, some competitions and awards; really it is about your work speaking for you. I believe, perhaps that is why they say that.

When did the idea of Trinity Chorale come?

The conception of Trinity Chorale was long ago. I have always had this drive, and people always coming to me and asking, why don’t you start a group of your own, since you are so good with the choir?

However, the idea actually became real in the year 2009 when I tried to gather people together to sing at private events. I wanted to give my one hundred percent to the church as the Choirmaster-General and I did not want to run a parallel chorale group on the side therefore, the idea was put on hold.

The Trinity Chorale formally started in 2014. That time, we were just doing appearances on request so to speak, and we were on and off.  When there was an event, we would gather ourselves together. It became a standing choral group, fully registered and full grown in 2014 as the Trinity Chorale.

Mr Nnamdi Amadi…leading his chorale group at an outing

What challenges did you face setting up the chorale group?

They were normal challenges as nothing good comes easy. Part of it was getting people available during rehearsals, especially as we pride ourselves in Trinity Chorale as a chorale that does not go begging to invite people to come and join. If you want to be a member, you must really be willing, ready and wanting to participate; you must be passionate.

You come by yourself; we don’t come to woo you to join Trinity Chorale. Reason is because, we want people with positive attitude which can then turn into passion. It was somewhat difficult getting members but like I said, i was in mainstream music, so it was more of everybody wanting to be a member. In fact, the challenge I would say is reducing the membership; being able to stamp my feet and say I want only thirty people which was the number we started with. So, reducing the number and then training the ones that have been able to make it and build a choir sound, was the challenge.

What was the early response of people to you like, especially from your Wife?

You know I have a musical family so to speak. I met my wife in the choir and we got married. We were not in the same choir, so she was singing in another choir in the parish. I became a choirmaster in 1998 and the parish choirmaster in the 2000. So my wife had already known me, my way of life as a chorister, choirmaster and musician that moving along with her was not that difficult.

As for my parents, it was a thing of pride when they saw their son up there. So, my family has been very supportive although they had to make a lot of sacrifice as I had to be away for long rehearsals, but altogether, we give glory to God, and I think it is really worth it.

How do you fund the group?

That is where the matter lies. At the moment, we depend on God’s grace, knowing that gradually, and little by little, people would get to know us and we would be able to draw something from external sources.

For now, we fund the chorale from my personal resources. Like I said earlier, God has been gracious to us, coupled with the fact that for us to be known, for people to know you are existing;  for you to be able to attract investors, you must be able to do one or two things.

We had to stage annual concerts, in fact, we produce two concerts every year but they are charity concerts.

Is Trinity Chorale duly registered under the Corporate Affairs Commission? Does it have its board of director as required by the law?

Well, registered? Yes, as a business but we actually registered under the name Trinity Chorale Concepts. Trinity Chorale is just an arm of the Trinity Chorale Concepts. Like I said earlier, we are a full fledged entertainment body. We provide musical and entertainment services ranging from solos, choir, orchestra, band etc. We also do equipment leasing –P.A, Sound and Lighting – all these are part of the things covered under the Trinity Chorale Concepts.

When recruiting members, what qualities do you look out?

Desire for excellence, passion, commitment, selflessness basically, so far you can sing. We don’t look for professionals because Trinity Chorale has a mandate, and the mandate is to train, groom, mentor people and keep them. Those are what we do basically. For a new person that wants to come, you don’t have to be a professional singer, but by the special grace of God we are able to refine you and if you are a professional, it is welcome. It makes the work easier but that is not our priority.

What level of loyalty do you get from your members?

Absolutely one hundred percent. In fact, if you ask me, I can say one hundred and fifty percent. My members are pretty loyal. I think it’s all about leadership by example. If your people see how committed you are, how passionate you are, they give it back to you.

Like they say “you can’t give what you don’t have.” It is the measure that you dish out that people would give back to you. So, I can beat my chest to say I get absolute loyalty from my members.

Looking back, what would you say the chorale has achieved?

To the glory of God, we are proud to say today, that Trinity Chorale is one of the choral groups in this country to reckon with. Trinity Chorale is a household name in the choral industry. To think that since we are a private group not backed by church or any organisation, we have been able to achieve some feat!

In 2017, we were listed as No 7 of top 10 chorales in Nigeria by Chorale Hub. Then same 2017, we were crowned winners of the Hours With The Masters competition among top six choral groups that came together for that competition from South-west Nigeria.

Recently, we were also crowned winners in the National Classical Music Competition, and that was last August (2019). It was for choral groups from the south-west, south-south, and we came tops amongst eight choral groups that participated.

So, I think God has really blessed us. Outside that, we can say that for a private chorale group, our concerts can be said to be one of the best-selling concerts people look forward to in Lagos so far.

Thus far, what would you describe as your most memorable moment as the Director of Trinity Chorale?

There are so many memorable moments, but I cannot pin point any particular one now. Maybe the recent laurel we won as the best choral group both in South-south and South-west Nigeria. The competition was organised by the Classical Music Society of Nigeria (CLAMUSON), because really, there was a lot of hard work put into it.

We were busy so we had a very short time to prepare for that competition – about 2 weeks. We just came back from our concert, we did not have time and he had three songs to do including two serious set pieces –The Heavens are telling (from Hayden’s Creation)and Beethoven’s Halleluia (from Mount of Olives), and a choice piece – O Lord, Most Holy (Ave Maria) by Anton Bruckner.

And for a choir like this, we were going up against big choirs like the famous St Albert’s Choir (UNIBEN) and UI choir and we dusted them to be crowned winner.

For me, it was a defining moment and we say thanks to God for the reward for all the work we put in.

We know that beyond choir performances that your group is also involved in humanitarian services; is this part of what the group was set up for?

Part of our founding tenets is that we are a charitable organisation. Any person coming to join the choral knows this from the onset that you are not coming in to make money even though there are prospects of making little money from events.

We do give honoraria to members because we go for corporate engagements, private events, weddings etc. and we get paid for it and when we get paid, people that participate get paid. However, our main thrust is that we want to be known as a choir that is very socially responsible to the people, in line with keeping the tenets of Faith, Hope and Charity. And the greatest of these is Charity.

So we ask ourselves, how can we use this gift that God has endowed us with to promote his kingdom on earth, promote the salvation and good of mankind? We believe that this is the only way to remember the poor as the word says:

“Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.”

So, the calling on this group is basically charity-ended. That is why we do those concerts every year, one in the middle of the year around June and July on Trinity Sunday particularly, and then the other one at Christmas time. These are specially meant to raise funds and whatever proceeds we get from these concerts are sent to charity.

One Charity that we hold very dear is the Old People’s Home charity. The home is supported by the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos.

Even as we do this, we pray that people remember us and take care of us at our old age. So we remember them at yuletide, the joyful season and the season of sharing. So, the answer to your question is yes, Trinity Chorale is primarily a charity-based organisation.