German orchestra, Lusubilo begin tour Sat
Germany’s 18-piece Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra (Ameo), in conjunction with Lusubilo Band, has lined up four shows in a tour to begin on Saturday with a performance at Karonga Museum amphitheatre.
Thereafter, the groups will be at Grand Palace Hotel in Mzuzu on Sunday, Robin’s Park in Blantyre on August 20 and Bingu International Conference Centre in Lilongwe on August 21 together with Ulimba musicians from Nsanje.
The tour, dubbed What Boundaries, is a collaborative project supported by the German Kulturstiftung des Bundes (Federal Cultural Foundation).
It wants to blend Malawi’s traditional music with international jazz, current electronic music as well as elements of contemporary European music.
Briefing journalists on Friday, the project’s coordinator Charles Sinetre said the visit has been designed as a three-week workshop at Karonga’s Music Centre of Lusubilo where composers from Ameo and the Lusubilo Band will create new and exclusive pieces, which they will in turn rehearse with the entire group.
He said after the workshops the groups will present the collaborative compositions—a combination of music, dance and spoken word poetry—during the shows.
“What Boundaries? is all about breaking down boundaries by writing and creating new music. We want to authenticate the saying that music is an international language by marrying music from Germany, Karonga and Nsanje,” said Sinetre.
The Berlin-based orchestra was founded in 2006 and is directed by saxophonist and main composer Daniel Glatzel.
The ensemble comprises 18 musicians and is known for its unlikely and unique instrumentation, including strings, winds, electric guitar, drums, harp and keyboards.
Lusubilo, on the other hand, is a youthful 10-member band from the Music Centre of Lusubilo in Karonga.
It is an award-winning group, voted Best Band at the 2014 Musicians Union of Malawi Awards (Muma) and three of its members have been receiving full scholarships to study classical music at the Korean National University of Arts since 2013.
Glatzel said the project wants to fuse musical and cultural styles from Germany and Malawi to create new music for the benefit of both countries.
“At the end of the project, we will break down personal boundaries to help us expand our view of life, people and other cultures. This helps one to see what is actually happening in the world to break down narrow mindedness,” he said.
