Nigeria’s first-ever classical guitar competition for children has produced a winner, with Alchemy Group taking the top prize at an event held in Lagos by the Chocolate Africa Classical Guitar Society of Nigeria.
The landmark contest featured pupils of the Chocolate Africa Classical Guitar (CACG) Academy, who had spent almost a year training in guitar performance, music literacy, and sight reading. After impressive performances by three student groups, Alchemy Group emerged as overall winner.
Speaking during the event, the Founder and Executive Chairman of the CACG Academy, Mr Adegoke Taiwo Oluwagbemiga, said the competition was created to give young students a platform to perform while drawing attention to classical guitar music, which he noted is still underrepresented in the region.
He explained that the CACG Academy is a non-profit music school focused on children from low-income communities, with Lagos serving as its pilot centre. According to him, the programme currently has about 65 enrolled students.
Oluwagbemiga added that participants were judged on performance quality, sight reading, and music literacy, stressing that frequent performance opportunities form a key part of the academy’s training approach. He also said one of the society’s wider goals is to document and preserve Nigerian folk music.
Also speaking, the academy’s Co-founder and Director, Mr Hamilton Olushola Festus, said the competition involved three student groups: Imperial, Delight, and Alchemy, organized according to age brackets.
He noted that all contestants were students of the academy and revealed plans to expand the competition to other parts of Nigeria in future editions.
One of the judges, Ms Marianne Ournac, Cooperation Officer at the French Embassy in Nigeria, highlighted the importance of music education in shaping children’s creativity and personal growth.
The event concluded with prize presentations to all participating groups, with Alchemy Group officially crowned winners of the maiden classical guitar competition.
