The Musical Society of Nigeria, MUSON, is set to return with its 2026 annual festival, bringing together indigenous music, drama, opera, young performers and conversations around technology in music.
The festival will hold from October 23 to November 8, at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, under the theme “Music Sustained.” The theme, according to the festival planning committee, reflects MUSON’s longstanding focus on music education, performance and cultural development in Nigeria.
Chairperson of the festival planning committee, Sade Doherty, disclosed the programme in a statement made available to Premium Times on Monday.
The festival’s opera programme will include a student production of “The Mikado”, performed in English, as well as selections from operas that have previously featured at MUSON festivals.
Drama will also form part of the programme, with productions designed for different audiences. According to Doherty, the afternoon presentation will be suitable for a general audience, while the evening production will explore more mature themes.
One of the returning highlights will be “Collabo: Music Meets Technology,” which is entering its fourth edition. The programme will examine the changing relationship between music and technology, with this year’s discussion focusing particularly on artificial intelligence and automation.
Doherty said the conversation would examine how emerging technologies are affecting music production, live performance and the ways audiences experience music.
The technology programme will also consider the relationship between human creativity and intelligent machines, including both the opportunities and concerns arising from the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the music industry.
The festival will also feature a youth variety concert, providing young performers who have distinguished themselves in different competitions with an opportunity to perform before an audience.
The programme is expected to begin with a podcast screening before the main festival activities, with Obi Asika, Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, scheduled to deliver the keynote address.
Doherty said Asika’s background in music production made him particularly suited to speak about the development of Nigeria’s domestic music economy.
Some regular MUSON programmes have been left out of this year’s schedule, including “My Kind of Music.” Doherty, however, said the organisation plans to bring the programme back as a standalone event.
The festival therefore combines MUSON’s traditional emphasis on performance and music education with newer conversations about technology, youth participation and the changing nature of music.
Source: Premium Times
