First Lady Jeannette Kagame was among thousands who thronged the BK Arena on Sunday, December 22, for the colourful annual Christmas Carols Concert. The concert, which was in its 11th edition, is hosted annually by Rwanda’s premier Catholic Church choir, Chorale de Kigali, to get Christians into the Christmas spirit. Aside from the First Lady, the concert also attracted top religious figures like Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, senior government officials, among others. As early as 6p.m, renowned media personalities Kate Gustave and Egidie Bibio Ingabire introduced the choir to the stage with revelers eager to witness the best from arguably the best Catholic Church choir in Rwanda. Chorale de Kigali, with their usual energy and vocals, welcomed their already thrilled crowd with a delightful performance of iconic Christmas songs like 'Carols of the Bells', 'Vierge Marie', 'The Lord's Prayer', 'Alleluya Umukiza Yavutse' and ‘Turakuramutsa Mubyeyi.’ The performance was then followed by a live performance by a choir of students from Ecole Sainte Bernadette, Kamonyi, composed of children aged between 10-15. They performed ‘Il Est Né’, ‘Glorious’, ‘Courage to Change’, ‘Do Re Mi’, ‘Ca duet’, ‘Kid Songs’, ‘Hooray’ and ‘Tago Mago,’ before the MCs welcomed back Chorale de Kigali for the second session of their performance. Before taking the stage, Chorale de Kigali president Jean Claude Hodari expressed his excitement about how the choir keeps bringing people and families together for the Christmas fete. Hodari said they seek to unite all who believe in Christ, without exception. Performance of their last 10 songs saw almost everyone remain on their feet dancing, visibly filled with joy, until the concert closed at 10.30p.m. Founded in 1966, Chorale de Kigali has been staging routine Christmas Carols since 2013, with the concert going on to become a flagship pre-Christmas event that draws many Kigalians. One of the oldest Catholic choir in Rwanda, Chorale de Kigali was founded by a group of 20 people, most of whom were music graduates from seminary schools around the country at the time of its foundation. Cardinal Kambanda closed the concert with a prayer, wishing a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone in attendance.
