Musica Battle of School Bands 2015

Brenda Phiri Entertainment Reporter
Newly established arts fete Musica Festival begins its second edition this Saturday with a Battle of School Bands 2015 at the Heritage School. The annual festival is organised by the Italian Embassy in Harare and expectations are high that the level of talent will be out of this world.

“Musica Battle of the School Bands seeks to facilitate cultural exchange and foster musical skills development among young and emerging artistes, while providing them with opportunities for exposure and growth. We are pleased with our partnership with ZiFM as this is in line with our goals,” said Italian Ambassador, Enrico De Agostini.

According to the competition’s rules, school bands are required to present one original song and their own rendition of a popular song.

This year the contest will focus on selected musical genres that include Blues, Afro-pop, Rock, Jazz, Reggae, Alternative Reggae, Country, Soul and Rhythm and R‘n’B. The competition will be run in a knock out format, comprising three rounds.

One third of the competing bands will be eliminated from the contest at each stage.

The opening round is set for July 18 with the participation of 21 school bands, while the subsequent round will be held on September 12. The final round will be held on the opening day of the main Musica 2015 Festival, on October 3.

In addition to the recording contract, the contest will also provide opportunities for the top three bands to perform on the main stage at the Embassy of Italy during Musica, alongside established international and local artistes. The organisers said an experienced jury will judge the performances based on lyrical content, rhythm, innovation, clarity, overall musical performance, stage presence, interaction with the audience, appearance, originality and audience response.

Musica is an annual festival organized by the Embassy of Italy in Harare as part of the diplomatic mission’s rich cultural program, which is designed to facilitate stronger relations, understanding and cooperation through culture.

Partners of the festival include the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust, the Zimbabwe German Society, ZiFM Stereo, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, FBC Bank, MedLog (Private Limited), Southern Granites – Red, Graniteside Chemicals, Econet Wireless, Meikles Hotel, Freight World, Progressive Insurance Brokers, Pedini, Just Doors, Salini Costruttori, Only Italian and Dawn Properties.