Qualifiers for the knockout stage of the Nairobi County Battle of the Choirs have been announced.
A task force chaired by Mwaniki Mageria said on Wednesday the knockouts will take place from March 22 to 23, which will be a build-up to the semi finals and finals set for March 31 and April 1.
A technical committee, led by Daniel Madalanga, vetted candidates at Pride Inn Hotel in Sabaki, Nairobi, from March 8 to 12.
“We looked at the authenticity of the recordings, the validity of the teams in various categories and the improvement of the choirs in terms of delivery,” he said.
Some Sh3.5 million was given to winners of last year's inaugural edition courtesy of Governor Johnson Sakaja. Forty choirs participated.
This year, the committee whittled down 92 entries to 61, with 52 from church choirs and nine from community choirs.
Qualifiers from the Church Choir category include PCEA Kahawa Farmers' Choir led by Nickson Odanga and St Teresa’s Kariobangi Cathedral Choir led by Anthony Odongo.
Others include Kenyatta National Hospital SDA Choir led by Nancy Adoyo and Kenya Church of Christ Choir Shillo led by Julius Ngala.
From the Community Choirs category, qualifiers include The Wazalendo Group of Singers led by Chrispinus Okulo, Tamasha Afrika led by Simon Mashini and Pambo Africa Chorus led by Geoffrey Mogots.
This is the second edition of the event after it was launched with resounding success last year.
The competition will offer opportunities to showcase the rich choral life and the diversity of choral music from the subcounty level.
The knockout qualifiers will converge at Charter Hall, Nairobi, on Friday to be briefed on what is required of them in terms of performance.
Present at the press briefing were Nairobi Inclusivity executive Anastacia Nyalita and Arts chief officer Clement Sijenyi, alias Clemmo.
Nyalita said they ensured inclusivity was achieved.
“Effective representation of the choirs from subcounty and the denominations in this exercise cannot be overemphasised,” she said.
She said more teams representing people with disabilities should be brought on board going forward, since this time there was only one team representing them.
After the knockout stage, 38 groups that will have qualified will make it to the semi-finals and finals.
During the first edition of the Battle of the Choirs, three teams emerged victorious out of 40 teams/choirs that participated.
The winners, Cathedral Youth Choir, got Sh2 million, while runners-up PCEA Kahawa Farmers got Sh1 million. St Peter’s Clavers finished in third place and garnered Sh500,000.
The event coincides with the Easter festivities from March 1 to April 1.
And so, beyond the competition, it aims to create a family-centred environment to enjoy music, food, trade and wholesome entertainment.
There will be all-round family entertainment to complement the two-day finals of the event.
