Premium beer brand Tusker Malt partnered with The Kenya Conservatoire of Music to celebrate women in music through the International Women’s Day Concert Series on March 4 and 5. The concert was held at the Kenya National Theatre (KNT).
According to Tusker Malt, the brand supported the concert as part of its commitment to supporting not only Kenyan arts and culture, but also the diversity and inclusion agenda of its parent company, Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL).
The International Women’s Day Concert Series was founded in 2017 at the Kenya Conservatoire of Music by current Conservatoire director Wandiri Karimi and acclaimed conductor and violinist Keziah Ntwiga as a celebration of women in music. The series was borne out of a need for diversification of activities and platforms for women to express themselves. The Kenya Conservatoire Women’s Orchestra is determined to advocate for and build social nets with the end goal of bringing into being a broader platform that in turn creates opportunities for healing through music and connection.
2022 marked the sixth edition of the concert series with this year’s theme being “We Are Here!”. Past events have featured some amazing, award-winning vocalists, such as AFRIMMA-nominated singer-songwriter Olivia Ambani, Lisa Oduor-Noah, Maryolive Mungai, pianist Nanjala Antonia and violinist Shirlene Obara.
This year’s concert series was headlined by one of Kenya’s most celebrated Female artists, Fena Gitu, who, for the first time performed with an all-female orchestra. The show, ran for two days from 4 and 5 March in the build-up to the International Women’s Day 2022, which fell on March 8.
The event will also featured the all-female percussion band Motra Music, Kike Dance, which is a Nairobi-based company of dancers and the Spellcast Trebles.
Tusker Malt has been an active supporter of the Kenya Conservatoire of Music, with their last involvement being the ‘Do Not Fret’ Musical and ‘Carols at The Courtyard’ in November and December 2021 respectively.