Editor's Note...Christmas Eve 2010

Finally I have a couple of weeks all to myself. I just love my employers for making it possible, closing down the offices every Christmas season so that no one will work! I think this policy is just great. Some people just know how to do things the right way, don't they?  

Personally, I've not had a break for a long time now and I think this holiday is just on time to unwind a bit. I've been indoors all day. I heard that there's going to be a party at the Philippine Embassy tonight, but I am not going. Another one tomorrow too but I also intend to stay indoors.

As I write, I am looking at four bottles of wine in front of me (photo above) and I'm tempted to open one of them. But I can't. Although I take a sip during occasions, I'm not the kind that will drink a bottle of alcohol until the bottom is up and my head is down, which is what I will have to do if I open a bottle now since there's no one here to drink with me!

In Nigeria (as in some parts of the world) it is a custom to give a bottle of wine as a gift, especially during Christmas and New Year. So far I have received four bottles: two from Joy, my friend from Zenith Bank, one from Marilu Glanznig, and the one on the right, with the name card attached to it, is from the Embassy of Italy.

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Italy's BelCanto Ensemble Concert in Abuja

CLICK TO ENLARGE -
Rosaria Buscemi from Italy gets ready to sing at
 the Transcorp Hilton Hotel; December 6, 2010.
Photos by Araceli Aipoh

A concert featuring the BelCanto Ensemble, composed of five classical music performers from Italy, was organized by the Embassy of Italy on December 6, 2010, at the Lagos Room of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel.

The members of the BelCanto Ensemble are: 1) Rosaria Buscemi, a soprano who graduated with honours at the Consenza Music Conservatory in Italy and has won several national and international competitions; 2) Alessandro Vuono, a pianist who is both a performer and a teacher, and who’s been successful in several national and international piano competitions; 3) Antoni Arcuri, who plays the clarinet and has degrees in Clarinet and Orchestration at Cosenza Music Conservatory in Italy and teaches clarinet; 4) Massimo Celiberto, who plays the horn, has performed over five hundred recitals in Europe and America and has worked with international artists including Andrea Bocelli; and 5) Francesco Clemente, a violinist who is a member of Quinteto Porteno (a formation devoted to tangos) and co-founder of a group with which he performs classical and contemporary repertoire.

Prior to this concert, two other cultural events were hosted by the Italian Embassy in a span of 12 days. These photos were taken at the BelCanto concert.

Christmas at the Dunes

The Dunes, one of Abuja's landmarks and which houses a restaurant and a supermarket, takes a new look. Photo courtesy of Milad Zeitoun, a member of Abuja Expats.  



Julius Berger Christmas Bazaar

Once a year Julius Berger Nigeria PLC invites the general public to their Life Camp in Abuja for their Christmas Bazaar. This year, the event took place on November 27, 2010, starting from 7:00pm. Different types of food were sold as well as arts and crafts. Later in the night was a raffle draw.

The following photos were taken at the event. You may click on the photos to enlarge.

An evening of songs at the Italian Ambassador's residence

Those who love to sing can sing and have a concert anywhere. This particular concert was held at the spiralled staircase of the Italian Ambassador’s Residence on 26th November 2010, featuring the Metropolitan Chorale Abuja. His Excellency Ambassador Roberto Colamine personally welcomed the guests. Those performed during the night included Godswill Okafor (Conductor and Artistic Director, MCA), Prisca Enyi and Agatha Ibeazor (Soprano soloists) and Michael Obinyan, Precious Omuku, Frank Okoye and Valentine Aghesimba (tenors).

AMEMUSO Plays the Sound of Unity in Abuja

Believing that a “flourishing artistic community, supported by the general public, is a clear sign of a healthy city,” members of the Abuja Metropolitan Music Society (AMEMUSO) have embarked on a mission to sing, dance, and act their way towards the realization of their dream of building a performing arts centre in Abuja. In line with this, the musical body and Mrs. Maria Cecilia Toledo de Schmillen, artistic director of AMEMUSO and wife of the Ambassador of Germany to Nigeria, gave one of their performances on Monday, the 15th of November 2010, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel with the staging of the opera Sound of Unity, an adaptation of the film Sound of Music. Supporting AMEMUSO were a selection of international classical music performers such as Walter-Micheal Vollhardt from Germany Omo Bello from Nigeria, flutist Julian Manthey, violinist Maria Azova, and violoncellist Robert Steep, all from Germany, and Nigerian music sensation Dare Art Alade who played the role of Captain.  (Click and re-click on the image on the left to get a better view of the photos or CLICK HERE FOR LARGE FORMAT VERSION.)

The opera was supported by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Chrome, Lufthansa, Hilton, Central Bank of Nigeria, Total, Momo, Dantata and Sawoe, Expo Solutions, PML, Parmigiani, Yaliam Press Limited, Xplus, and the Embassies of Germany, France, and Austria.

Scroll down to view more photos of the Operabuja 2010.

Comments? Send email to insidetrackabuja@yahoo.com

Abuja

Opera in Abuja

The following photos were taken during the Opera in Abuja on November 15, 2010.