This year’s production explored the story of Carmen in a local adaptation using the three main native languages: Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa. After many years away, Carmen, which was by Mrs. Toledo de Schmillen, a daughter of a European palm oil-producer and a Nigerian, returns to her father’s plantation in Nigeria as a young woman. She caught the eye of Don Jose, the head of security on the plantation.  Having fallen for her, Don Jose abandoned his fiancée, Michaela, sung by Nigerian opera singer Omo Bello, (currently studying in Paris). But Carmen was not satisfied with Don Jose’s love and left him after falling in love with Escamillo. In a fit of jealousy, Don Jose kills Carmen.

The event, which had in attendance Vice President Good luck Jonathan, his wife, Patience and a large turn-out from the diplomatic community in Abuja, also featured an artistic performance by Omo Bello, the vivacious second prize winner at the 2009 Vibrate International Competition.

The annual festival of classical and Nigerian music was packaged by the AMEMUSO in collaboration with the German and French embassy, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja and other culturally committed organizations and featured a host of Nigerian and expatriate artistes.

While speaking on the orientation and focus of the performance, Maria Toledo explained that “The intention of “Operabuja” was to offer talented Nigerian musicians a platform to exhibit their art in a music festival with an international standard.”

She described the event as a huge success and an opportunity to showcase the rich musical talent that abound in Nigeria. According to her, “Nigeria’s culture is so unknown in many places of the world and when a lot of Europeans discover a lot about Nigerian culture, it will bring in a lot of revenue. I feel very happy with the successful completion of this year’s edition of the opera and I am sure that Nigerians love it too. If you start to see this country from the perspective with which we see it, then we will have a brighter future together. I say ‘we’ because after spending three years in your country, I must say that I have come to love this country very much.”

On what to expect at next year’s opera, Maria Toledo simply urged Nigerians to expect music and more music that will showcase a flamboyant blend of both European and Nigerian cultures.

Also speaking to Sunday Trust, the German ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Joachim Schmillen expressed satisfaction with the successful conduct of the 2009 edition. In his words, “I feel very good, very proud and honored but not only that my wife sang and performed because I know how much hard work she puts into the show but also how hard the Nigerian singers prepared for the programme. I must also congratulate Nigeria for the incredible potential she has and I hope that if the minister of information is talking about rebranding Nigeria, maybe she can consider sending this choir around the world to show the world a little bit about what is going on in Nigeria.”

He emphasized that the project was a Nigerian project and  his wife, and the other organizers were only supporting the local talent abound and promised an even better package next near.

One of the stars of the night, Omo Bello, who also featured in the two previous editions, said “I feel very happy that the hard work paid off and that all our work came to a successful completion. I am really very excited and impressed about what we have been able to create with the opera Abuja 2009.”

In recent years, the starling performances of AMEMUSO has earned the group much recognition, resulting in the FCT Minister donating a plot of land to it in 2007 to help it realize its dream of a musical complex in Abuja come true.

In October 2008, the Choir received training for two weeks from a German Master, Mrs. Carmen Maria Anhorn, in vocal training. The AMEMUSO Master classes were made possible through the support of the German Embassy and Lufthansa Airline.

While the Operabuja might have come and gone, the artistic director of the musical group, Cecilia Toledo, solicited for the generous donations and contributions of corporate Nigerians and other lovers of opera music towards the completion of an ultra modern music complex in Abuja which will serve as a training school for talented young Nigerian singers.

AMEMUSO will collaborate with reputable foreign music schools alongside their Nigerian counterparts in order to create and develop an absolutely new concept of music school in Nigeria, she said.