Nigeria’s Classical Music Scene Finds a Younger Audience

MUSON Centre sits in a large, caramel-hued building in the suburban area of Marina, on Lagos Island. On any given day, the various compartments in the building hum with activity. Since its founding in 1983 by a group of friends, the organization has hosted a diverse range of events, from brand activations and weddings to book readings and a robust lineup of classical music events, including operas. These intimate events are often attended by older Nigerians, defined by dress codes and strict adherence to decorum — many of the cultural sentiments young Nigerians typically veer away from.

Although classical music and its many offshoots have a small, close-knit community in Nigeria, the MUSON Centre has been unyielding in its commitment to promoting and fostering classical music and musicals. While the genre might be largely appealing to older Nigerians, it is now finding its way towards younger audiences.

For 29-year-old international development professional Yinka Seth, classical music has always been a part of his life. “I grew up learning the classics — Bach, Mozart, Webber and the like. Singing them at school concerts so when I got out of school I began attending shows regularly,” he says.

After making a video about his experience attending an opera, Seth received an overwhelming response from young people like himself who were only just discovering the existence of the scene or were already classical music lovers who didn’t know other young people were also interested, but Seth tells OkayAfrica that young people have been attending operas at MUSON for a while now.

“In the last two years, I’ve seen a lot more young people coming especially since MUSON became online,” he says.

An alternative creative space

With a creative scene dominated by Afrobeats and other high-energy artistic disciplines, classical music offers a grounded, immersive alternative. While musicals and plays already have a healthy market — with shows at Terra Kulture (a theater house) regularly selling out, classical music hasn’t yet broken through on the same scale. “I think it’s the aspirational value of it,” Seth says. “The fact that Nigerians can step outside what is mainstream to create a body of work that is in some ways foreign to us and do it so excellently.”

While the growth of young audiences is happening, industry insiders say it is somewhat slow. “The classical music space in Lagos has been seeing a rise in young audiences, compared with the past, it's getting better, but it's not yet where it ought to be,” Victor Ige, a classical musician who has also studied at MUSON, tells OkayAfrica.

Ige, however, points out that this is mostly due to a lack of publicity. “There are a lot of people who don't know this kind of music exists in this country. They only see it in movies, no one-on-one experience, apart from their churches. and also collaboration will help.”

Seth also agrees. “I think there’s not a lot of publicity and appreciation generally. And there’s not a lot of infrastructure for managing these things. For instance, tickets to MUSON shows only recently started doing online ticketing. Apart from MUSON or a few independent productions, there’s not much infrastructure to promote these people to do their work which doesn’t really help the craft.”

A possible new market

Since attending his first opera, Abdulmalik says he is planning on returning. He is taking this newfound interest even further, “I plan on registering at the school to learn how to play the violin, I already bought one but I am hoping to finish school first before registering,” he says.

Abdulmalik also sees the possibility of more young Nigerians developing an interest in the Nigerian opera scene in due time. “One thing I like about my generation is the diversity in the taste,” he says. “You can find them anywhere as long as they know about it. So definitely, I see it. I mean the turnout that day was amazing.”

Ige however sees the future of classical music in Nigeria through conflicting lenses. For one, he thinks the scene will continue thriving with the slowly rising interest from young people and the dedication of parents who encourage their children to study music. He, however, expresses worry over the scene’s present state as a lot of the trained musicians are leaving the country, because, as he says, the genre is not appreciated in Nigeria.

“There are not many platforms for classical music, the future might be brighter if a lot of musicians were not leaving the country,” Ige concludes.