The Winneba Youth Choir celebrated its 30th anniversary with a concert at the La Palm Royal Hotel on Friday, May 24 in Accra.

The 30th-anniversary concert, which was to celebrate the hard work of the Choir’s years of existence, had in attendance the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his wife, Rebecca and some other state dignitaries.

The theme for the 30th Anniversary was ‘God Our Refuge, Our Strength’ and saw classical hymns and performances from the choir. 

These amazing performances were directed and conducted by choir leader, Paa John Arthur–Yamoah, who was highly praised by the Chief Patron of the Choir, former President John Agyekum Kuffour, for his undying love for the choir till date.

Paa John Arthur–Yamoah, expressed his gratitude to patrons in a simple speech during the concert: “I want to thank you our patrons whose support and encouragement enables us to continue doing God’s work”. 

He further recounted that he had experienced a few down moments in the face of the challenges of his profession but had searched within himself for pertinent answers.

The guest of honour, President Akufo-Addo in his speech, recounted how he was introduced to the Choir by the late Akaa Kwarteng many years ago and how he has been enchanted by the exploits of the choir since that day. 

He took the opportunity to congratulate the choir, wished them well and also urged them to continue to work hard to inspire the youth in many ways, encouraging them to continue to churn out new talents. 

The president contributed an amount of ₵50, 000 to support the choir.

The concert was climaxed with fundraising which was aimed at helping the choir acquire new instruments and other necessities to help improve their standard to a greater level. 

Some patrons and leaders of the choir were also awarded which included, Mr and Mrs John Kufuor, Mr and Mrs Jerry John Rawlings, Mr and Mrs Matilda Amissah Arthur, Rev. Andrew Nii Lantey Campbell, Former Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Woode and a host of others.

The Winneba Youth Choir was established in the month of May 1989 by a young talented musician named George Mensah–Essilfie, who was then the Principal organist of Winneba Ebenezer Methodist Choir. 

The choir which was formed by youth between the ages of 12 and 24 years from the coastal town of Winneba and its surrounding villages, gained their maiden recognition through a television performance in 1993, and since then the amazing grace of God has remained with the choir in all its endeavours.