Eighteen-year-old Anicet Adeyemi from St-Gilles takes center stage as a soloist at the Klarafestival, set to take place from March 20 to 30 across various concert halls in Brussels. Klarafestival is joining forces with its partner KPMG in Belgium and the Brussels children's choir Equinox, which works with children from vulnerable neighborhoods. On March 22, Anicet will make her solo debut at Bozar, performing Pilgrims, a new creation by pianist Julien Libeer and composer Fabian Fiorin.
Guided by the theme 'Art is for everyone, yet the road to it is not always easy', KPMG and Klarafestival, together with the Brussels choir Equinox, are organizing the remarkable performance Pilgrims. It is one of KPMG's social initiatives to help young talent in Belgium develop their full potential, in collaboration with a strong, locally anchored partner such as Klarafestival.
2,000 children
The Equinox choir was founded in 2012 in collaboration with a Brussels shelter to provide children from socially vulnerable backgrounds with access to music. Later, auditions were held in schools across Brussels, allowing even more children to join. Through the opportunity to sing together in the choir, more than 2,000 children and youngsters have discovered how much fun it is to make music together. They are discovering their talents, broadening their horizons and gaining greater self-confidence.
Soloist Anicet Adeyemi shares: "Music and the choir have played a huge role in my personal growth. I used to be bullied at school, but the choir was a place where I could think about something else and be myself again. It allowed me to catch my breath. The choir is like a family to me. It helped me build more self-confidence, overcome that difficult time and gave me a chance to have fun with people my age."
For Anicet, it all begain in a humble setting - in the shower, where she would sing freely. At that time, the world of classical music was still completely unfamiliar to her.
