Four choirs from different ACK churches in Nakuru represented the county at the International Hymn Festival (IHF) held in Mombasa, an event that attracted more than 80 Anglican churches from across Eastern Africa.

The festival celebrated the richness of Anglican hymn tradition while fostering unity and musical excellence among choirs from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan.

The participating Nakuru choirs included ACK Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, which ranked 16th, ACK St. Nicholas Nakuru Parish Church, which came 17th, ACK Emmanuel Teachers Parish, which finished 31st, and ACK Emmanuel Njoro Parish, which emerged 59th overall.

Despite varying rankings, all teams described the experience as uplifting, inspiring, and full of learning.

According to Mildred Akinyi from ACK St. Nicholas Church, taking part in the competition was about much more than ranking.

“We are also aiming to continue participating in subsequent competitions because it’s all about perfecting music in our churches so we present something nice. It’s also about bringing back the Anglican liturgy, because most of the time people only sing the chorus. That was our greatest lesson, as well as interacting with other East African churches,” she says.

Akinyi also emphasizes how such competitions could encourage youth participation in church activities.

“I even asked my son to join us because we needed more men. At first, it was not easy, but after joining, his interest in music has really grown. I believe he can now encourage more young people to join, even from Sunday school,” she adds.

ACK Cathedral of the Good Shepherd men choir pose for a photo during the International Hymn Festival in Mombasa.

Photo credit: COURTESY

For the ACK Emmanuel Njoro Parish Choir, this year’s festival marked their first participation in an international competition.

Roseline Odhiambo shares that their 44-member team decided to join after learning about the event during a church trip to Tanzania in 2024.

“When we were in Tanzania, we met the event organizer who informed us about the competition. We had planned to go last year but couldn’t make it due to financial challenges, so we purposed to attend this year,” she says.

Roseline describes the experience as transformative. “Meeting different people from other countries and learning how they presented their songs was wonderful. We were also taught that when performing, you must sing with the mood of the song, if it’s joyful, your expression must show joy.”

She also acknowledges the strong support of church leadership. “The vicar and elders encouraged us a lot and helped raise funds so we could attend. Their motivation really strengthened the choir members,” she noted.

Despite financial and logistical challenges, the team learned valuable lessons about discipline, stage presentation, and teamwork. They also recognized the importance of attracting young members.

“We recruited several youth to join the choir for the festival. Some were shy on stage, but they are gradually gaining confidence,” Roslyne said.

Looking ahead, the Emmanuel Parish Choir plans to improve its performance and aim for medals in next year’s competition.

“It was our first time, and although we didn’t rank highly, most of our songs scored above 70 percent. We’re on the right track. Next time, we hope to do even better,” Roslyne concludes.

Nakuru choirs find harmony at the International hymn festival!

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Muthoni Wanjiku