Ghanaian classical singer Felicity Afia Awuah made it into the World Youth Choir 2024 and is now performing internationally. Let’s take a listen!
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00:00Felicity Afia Awuah is from Ghana and has been singing since she was a child.
00:06Fast forward to today, Felicity is performing the iconic Ninth Symphony by Beethoven.
00:11To do so, she has traveled to Germany for the very first time.
00:15Felicity was born and raised here in Ghana's capital, Accra, and has qualified for the
00:20World Youth Choir.
00:22To prepare for the choir, which comprises of musicians from 41 nations, she takes a
00:27holistic approach.
00:29Getting fitter through basketball training with her father will help her in the intense
00:33time ahead.
00:34Basketball helps me to maintain stamina, and also with the breath control and everything.
00:40The nursing student practices every day for her big performance in Germany.
00:45But what does she love so much about classical music, and Beethoven's Ninth in particular?
00:53Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is a monumental work of art.
00:58The piece is quite challenging.
01:00A challenge made for Felicity.
01:03She sings in the university choir every week.
01:06And when friends told her about the World Youth Choir, she applied straight away.
01:11How did her parents react when she passed the rigorous audition?
01:15She has always wanted to be a star.
01:18I'm so happy, and I knew that one day she would be a singer.
01:27Just a month later, Felicity arrives in the small town of Weikersheim in southern Germany.
01:33It's the first time she's been away from home for so long.
01:36How is she holding up?
01:37Yeah, I'm into challenges.
01:40I love to compete.
01:43Which makes this her time to shine.
01:46The first rehearsal is a baptism of fire for the singers, who don't know each other yet.
01:52The conductor is none other than Oscar winner Tan Dun.
01:56In addition to his own composition, he will guide them through the Beethoven.
02:00One, two, three.
02:03It's a wonderful opportunity to be with all those Beethovens,
02:08these young people, they are the Beethoven.
02:11The World Youth Choir is different to Felicity's university choir in Accra.
02:16But everyone's getting to know each other.
02:18So how is the music coming together?
02:21My first impression, it was a little bit, you know, shaky.
02:26But with everyone on the team, and with the song, with the pieces, of course,
02:32we make everything beautiful.
02:35The first concert in the church in Weikersheim is about to begin, and the pressure is on.
02:41From here, the choir will tour Germany and the Netherlands.
02:45Quite the feat.
02:52The first concert is a success.
02:55But how does it feel to sing here, in a foreign language?
02:58There are some fears, because most of us from different countries
03:02do not really know how to articulate and pronounce certain words in German correctly.
03:10We meet back in Bonn, two weeks later.
03:13It's the most important stop on the tour,
03:16being composer Ludwig van Beethoven's birthday.
03:19The Beethoven Festival takes place here every year.
03:23Here, the World Youth Choir gives a concert in sign language for the hearing-impaired.
03:28Beethoven was deaf in later life, too, after all.
03:34So, what was the biggest challenge for Felicity?
03:38The biggest challenge was the traveling and slipping over.
03:44Felicity hadn't imagined life as a singer to be quite this strenuous.
03:48But after a moment of downtime, it's time to get ready for the final concert.
03:52Felicity has never sung in front of so many guests.
03:56Almost 1,000 people.
03:59So, how is she handling the heat?
04:02I would say I am so confident that I can handle the heat.
04:08So, how is she handling the heat?
04:12I would say I am so confident now when it comes to stage singing.
04:18Can she overcome the stage fright?
04:20And can they pull off the 9th,
04:22a musical symbol for peace, hope and international understanding?
04:31Despite the ovations, Felicity seems somewhat melancholic.
04:35It's time to say goodbye.
04:37The World Youth Choir perform one last song,
04:40this time hailing from South Africa.
04:43And despite the trials and tribulations of Beethoven's 9th,
04:46Felicity has come out on top.