When classical musicians from Nigeria and Germany meet for Beethovenfest, the result is an eclectic celebration of music inspired by Beethoven’s work. Witness the story behind the Campus Project 2025, a musical exchange organized alongside a yearly festival commemorating one of the world’s most famous composers.
00:00Final touches before the big concert in Bonn. Young musicians from Nigeria and
00:06Germany, plus the Bantu band and the National Youth Orchestra, all part of the
00:12campus project at Beethoven fest. Nerves kicking in?
00:17Nervous? Maybe a three out of ten but that will change once I'm on stage.
00:23I don't really can't just I don't know what to expect from the crowd.
00:27I am so excited. And then it's showtime. Afrobeads protest songs meld with
00:34classical strings and brass. Plus Beethoven's Egmont, a wild mix.
00:42Flashback 5,000 kilometers south, six months earlier. This is Lagos. 17 million people. A city full of energy and life. Deal with it.
00:57Six musicians from Germany meet six from Nigeria. British composer Cassie Kinoshy and the Bantu band join in. Afrobead meets classical. The challenge? Finding a shared sound. A shared vibe.
01:12We look forward to collaborating. Getting to learn from one another. And putting our egos outside. So anybody that came into this room with their ego and
01:19we strongly advise you go back outside and just dump it there.
01:26My name is Ade Bantu. I'm a musician, singer, songwriter and member of the 13 piece Bantu Ensemble.
01:33To kick things off, Ten Times Backwards by Bantu. A song about broken dreams and harsh realities in Nigeria.
01:40Later, they'll rehearse Beethoven.
01:55To kick things off, Ten Times Backwards by Bantu.
01:59A song about broken dreams and harsh realities in Nigeria.
02:04Later, they'll rehearse Beethoven.
02:10Also on the program, a brand new piece by Cassie Kinoshi, written just for Beethoven Fest.
02:17One more time. In fact, let's just try those first two bars, like all violins, because you want to get...
02:23This has been the saxophonist and composer's first encounter with her Nigerian roots.
02:29My dad was here for a few years of his formative years and kind of like a reconnection with part of my heritage.
02:38Twelve musicians, twelve stories.
02:41Mary from Lagos, Luis from Lubeck, Germany.
02:47I'm Mary from Lagos.
02:49I'm Luis, I'm 20 years old, and I studied the clarinet in Lubeck.
03:02Generally, one doesn't know much about Africa.
03:04Well, at least I have not been to Africa before.
03:06So this is a huge chance to learn something new and connect.
03:10New people from other cultures.
03:12Mary studied at the Muson School of Music, Nigeria's top classical conservatoire.
03:18She started playing in church during her childhood.
03:21Now, she's a violinist.
03:23We love music in our family, but it's not allowed to be studied as a career.
03:36I stick to my music.
03:37It wasn't really easy, but now it's easy, and it's accepted.
03:41First day of rehearsals, the group starts to click.
03:45The young people are extremely talented.
03:47I mean, this is the cream of the crop.
03:49It is a dream come true indeed.
03:54Ade was born in Lagos and raised in Germany.
03:57Now he's back in Nigeria, living between two worlds.
04:01First hurdle, cleared.
04:14The team chills at Victoria Island Beach.
04:17The campus project has been bringing young musicians together for over 20 years.
04:22But this is the program's first encounter with the African giant, Nigeria.
04:28Lagos, a city where wealth and daily hustle meet.
04:32Every day, thousands chase their dreams here.
04:36It's totally overwhelming.
04:38Lagos is overwhelming.
04:40Chaotic, but people are friendly and very welcoming.
04:44It's a total sensory overload.
04:47But of course, it's a total reassurance.
04:50I have a love-hate relationship with Lagos.
04:54I'm really fascinated by Lagos,
04:56because there's something about it that you can't quite hold.
05:02It just keeps reshaping itself.
05:06Next up, New Africa Shrine.
05:09A legendary club founded by Afrobeat icon Fela Kuti.
05:14A place of music, protest and history.
05:20The group starts to feel like a real team.
05:23After one week, time for a check-in.
05:28It was so enriching to get to know the Nigerians and the culture, the music,
05:32and to mix it with our experiences and with our music.
05:36Amazing.
05:37Like, I got to play with German musicians.
05:40It was great.
05:41It was fun.
05:42It was exciting.
05:43It was very, very intense.
05:44It has been so amazing meeting German people.
05:50And now, I think your family is now.
05:52It was a Nigerian dream.
05:54That's it.
05:55Warm up before their first performance at the J. Randall Center,
06:00dedicated to the Yoruba people.
06:02A public rehearsal turns into a mini concert.
06:06And it's a hit.
06:11They found their sound.
06:17The crowd is loving it.
06:19Time to say goodbye until the big concert in Bonn.
06:43Back in Bonn, calm, quiet, and very different from Lagos.
06:48For many Nigerian musicians, it's their first time in Europe.
06:57This is their first trip outside Nigeria.
07:00You see the excitement.
07:01Everyone's taking selfies.
07:02They're very curious at the breakfast buffet.
07:06They're trying new things out.
07:08It is definitely, I would say, a turning point for them.
07:13First sightseeing at Bonn University, Hofgarten.
07:17Then, the Beethoven monument.
07:23Perfect for photos.
07:33Next, Beethoven's birthplace.
07:35Now, a museum.
07:37The Nigerian musicians are blown away by Europe's love for classical music.
07:42In Nigeria, it takes a lot of tenacity because the support system is in there.
07:49You don't have musical education in the school.
07:51They've really been extremely diligent.
07:53They've fought against the odds.
07:56You know, even being able to acquire an instrument.
07:59It's very tasking in an environment like Nigeria and then finding the right educators.
08:07So, it's not a straightforward process.
08:09It's easy to study classical music here because I feel everybody loves music here.
08:19Final rehearsal at Bonn University.
08:21Campus 2025 is pushing musical boundaries.
08:25Afrobeat, classical, folklore and Cassie's new piece.
08:30Everyone came prepared.
08:42Everyone had done their homework.
08:44So, it was just fusing the ideas together.
08:47And the beautiful thing is that we felt safe and we felt seen and heard.
08:52There's a lot of respect there.
08:54Mutual respect.
08:56The big night is here.
08:58The moment they've been waiting for.
09:00The campus concert.
09:03Get them into the Afrobeat together with Kulonu Neal mentality.
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