Alabaster Astounds Gordonstoun School In Scotland

For Ghana’s cultural ambassadors Alabaster Box, currently touring the US after a successful tour of the UK, one of the performances they would never ever forget is a three-day experience with students of Gordonstoun School in Scotland.

In their own words, Leader of the group, Samuel Dowuona said “I tell you for a fact that our visit to Gordonstoun was one of? the most exciting and we had one of the most successful concerts ever in that school.”

Recounting their unforgettable experience to The Independent, he continued, “For the first time in the life of the school, their assembly hall, St. Christopher's Chapel was full to capacity during morning assembly, and guess what the attraction was, Alabaster Box.”

He disclosed further that after the Alabaster quartet had done a 20-minute introductory performance on the morning of April 26, 2005, their fame and performance spread like wild fire “and in the night, at the main concert, the hall was full as early 6.00pm, when the concert was starting at 7pm.”

Although Sammy said their experience at Gordonstoun, which he describes as a school for the privileged, could not be easily recounted, he nonetheless made an effort to do so.

“Our ‘welcome’ song got the whole hall up on their feet dance. We invited two Ghanaian girls at the school forward to do the ‘Welcome’ choreograph and later everybody joined in,” he narrated.

Sammy intimated that afterwards he together with Horst, Gideon and Richmond who make up the dynamic acapella group, invited other African students to do a dance for their "gome" song NYONMO BAAFE, one of the tracks on their latest album. “It was a memorable moment for them (African students),” he supplied.

That was not all - they taught two separate choirs in the school songs from Ghana. “We taught the younger ones ‘Da na'se’ (Thank Him) and the older ones ‘Akpe Nami’ in Ewe,” the Alabaster Leader divulged. He recounted that it was unbelievable, the way the older ones sung all the harmonies so well that one would think they were from Ghana.

“As a matter of fact they are learning more Ghanaian songs in preparation for their visit to Ghana in March next year,” The Independent was hinted.

On their one week visit, the Gordonstoun Choirs will be holding concerts in Accra and Kumasi with Alabaster Box, provided they are in the country by that time.

To crown their memorable visit to Gordonstoun, the all Ghanaian acapella group presented some items to the school. These included a stool with the ‘nkabom’ (Unity) symbol, to signify their commitment to the new relationship between Ghana and Gordonstoun. Another presentation of a stool was made to the Music department with the ‘Gye Nyame’ symbol, which Alabaster said, signified their specific relationship with that department.

The group also presented the Ghana National Flag, which to The Independent, signified that they were indeed cultural ambassadors of this country. They topped it up with their own rendition of the Ghana’s national anthem, which saw everybody at St. Christopher's Chapel standing on their feet.

“For the first time ever, another flag was hoisted on top of the famous Gordonstoun House and it was the Ghana National Flag,” Sammy relayed excitedly. Explaining the significance of that act, he said “That was all because like the Headmaster of the school put it, ‘For the three days that Alabaster Box was in Gordonstoun School, there was life, fun and action on campus.’”

After their swell time on the Gordonstoun School campus it was evidently clear that parting with the student was going to be very difficult. “On the day we left, one teacher sadly admitted that life on campus was returning to the usual calmness and that they would really miss us,” Alabaster stated.

For Ghana’s cultural ambassadors Alabaster Box, currently touring the US after a successful tour of the UK, one of the performances they would never ever forget is a three-day experience with students of Gordonstoun School in Scotland.

In their own words, Leader of the group, Samuel Dowuona said “I tell you for a fact that our visit to Gordonstoun was one of? the most exciting and we had one of the most successful concerts ever in that school.”

Recounting their unforgettable experience to The Independent, he continued, “For the first time in the life of the school, their assembly hall, St. Christopher's Chapel was full to capacity during morning assembly, and guess what the attraction was, Alabaster Box.”

He disclosed further that after the Alabaster quartet had done a 20-minute introductory performance on the morning of April 26, 2005, their fame and performance spread like wild fire “and in the night, at the main concert, the hall was full as early 6.00pm, when the concert was starting at 7pm.”

Although Sammy said their experience at Gordonstoun, which he describes as a school for the privileged, could not be easily recounted, he nonetheless made an effort to do so.

“Our ‘welcome’ song got the whole hall up on their feet dance. We invited two Ghanaian girls at the school forward to do the ‘Welcome’ choreograph and later everybody joined in,” he narrated.

Sammy intimated that afterwards he together with Horst, Gideon and Richmond who make up the dynamic acapella group, invited other African students to do a dance for their "gome" song NYONMO BAAFE, one of the tracks on their latest album. “It was a memorable moment for them (African students),” he supplied.

That was not all - they taught two separate choirs in the school songs from Ghana. “We taught the younger ones ‘Da na'se’ (Thank Him) and the older ones ‘Akpe Nami’ in Ewe,” the Alabaster Leader divulged. He recounted that it was unbelievable, the way the older ones sung all the harmonies so well that one would think they were from Ghana.

“As a matter of fact they are learning more Ghanaian songs in preparation for their visit to Ghana in March next year,” The Independent was hinted.

On their one week visit, the Gordonstoun Choirs will be holding concerts in Accra and Kumasi with Alabaster Box, provided they are in the country by that time.

To crown their memorable visit to Gordonstoun, the all Ghanaian acapella group presented some items to the school. These included a stool with the ‘nkabom’ (Unity) symbol, to signify their commitment to the new relationship between Ghana and Gordonstoun. Another presentation of a stool was made to the Music department with the ‘Gye Nyame’ symbol, which Alabaster said, signified their specific relationship with that department.

The group also presented the Ghana National Flag, which to The Independent, signified that they were indeed cultural ambassadors of this country. They topped it up with their own rendition of the Ghana’s national anthem, which saw everybody at St. Christopher's Chapel standing on their feet.

“For the first time ever, another flag was hoisted on top of the famous Gordonstoun House and it was the Ghana National Flag,” Sammy relayed excitedly. Explaining the significance of that act, he said “That was all because like the Headmaster of the school put it, ‘For the three days that Alabaster Box was in Gordonstoun School, there was life, fun and action on campus.’”

After their swell time on the Gordonstoun School campus it was evidently clear that parting with the student was going to be very difficult. “On the day we left, one teacher sadly admitted that life on campus was returning to the usual calmness and that they would really miss us,” Alabaster stated.