CANADA-based chorister and choir director Lindsay Stacey believes African choral music has outgrown the church pews and deserves a seat at the table of the mainstream creative industry.
For her, the genre's close association with church activities has, for too long, overshadowed its wider potential.
She is therefore calling on stakeholders to step up funding, open up professional opportunities and build the infrastructure needed for choral music to thrive.
"If I could change one thing about choral music in Africa, it would be the level of recognition, investment and professional support it receives," she said in a conversation with Graphic Showbiz on Monday, November 9.
Africa, she noted, is blessed with immense musical talent and cultural heritage, yet much of it remains untapped because of limited infrastructure, funding, exposure and institutional backing.
Stacey wants governments to recognise choral music as a key part of the creative economy and back it through arts funding, music education, cultural festivals, competitions and grants for emerging choirs and composers.
"Choral music should be seen as an important part of the creative industry and not exclusively as a church activity," she stated.
She also had a message for the church, which remains a major home for choral development across the continent.
In her view, churches have a duty to do more for their musicians through professional training, better pay and opportunities for young talents.
Event organisers and other industry stakeholders were also not left out. Stacey urged them to create platforms where choirs can share the stage with mainstream acts, and to encourage international collaborations and cultural exchanges.
She also stressed the need to document and preserve African choral compositions, especially those in indigenous languages, so the continent's musical heritage can be handed down to future generations.
"Being a chorister, composer or choir director should be seen as a legitimate and sustainable professional pursuit," she emphasised.
Asked if choral music was fading amid the growing popularity of Afrobeats and other contemporary genres, Stacey maintained the music style was evolving, not disappearing.
According to her, contemporary choral arrangements are increasingly blending African rhythms, gospel, jazz and popular music, giving choirs room to experiment without losing what makes choral performance special.
She encouraged African choirs to embrace collaborations and weave indigenous musical traditions and instruments into their work, while holding on to vocal harmony, collective interpretation and musical discipline.
However, Stacey cautioned against chasing innovation at the expense of identity, insisting that classical compositions and traditional African choral works must be preserved.
"The future of choral music lies in balancing preservation with innovation," she observed.
Stacey is a professional chorister, soloist and choir director with about eight years of experience in choral music. Her love for singing began at age 10, when her grandmother enrolled her in a local church choir.
Today, her repertoire spans gospel, classical and other choral forms performed in English and French.
