Chineke! Orchestra (/ˈtʃɪnɛkeɪ/[needs Igbo IPA]) is a British orchestra, the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority Black & ethnically diverse musicians. The word Chineke derives from the Igbo language meaning "God".[1] The orchestra was founded by musician Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE and their debut concert was in 2015 at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
Background
editNwanoku, the orchestra's founder, coined its name from the word "Chi" in the Igbo language,[2] which refers to "the god of creation of all good things",[1] or "the spirit of creation".[3] She was inspired by the use of the term in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.[4]
Nwanoku has acknowledged that inspiration for founding the orchestra came from a conversation with Ed Vaizey, then the UK Minister of Culture, who noted to her that she was one of the very few musicians of colour on stage in a classical orchestra.[4][5] She also took inspiration from attending a London concert of the Kinshasa Symphony, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the orchestra was all black, but the audience was almost entirely white.[5][6]
History
editThe Chineke! Foundation was established in 2015, and its parallel orchestra followed in the same year, with the express purpose of providing "career opportunities to young Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) classical musicians in the UK and Europe". The ensemble debuted at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre in London in September 2015, conducted by Wayne Marshall, and highlighting works by Black British composers, such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade for Orchestra and Elegy: In memoriam – Stephen Lawrence by Philip Herbert.[3][7] The orchestra for its first two concerts comprised exclusively black, Asian and minority ethnic musicians, but it has since included white musicians.[6] Chineke! became a resident orchestra at the Southbank Centre in 2016. The orchestra made its debut at The Proms in August 2017, conducted by Kevin John Edusei.[8]
In 2017, the orchestra made its first commercial recording for the Signum label, conducted by Edusei.[9]
In November 2019, the Chineke! Foundation became the first-ever recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society's Gamechanger Award, presented to an individual, group or organisation who in unique and contemporary ways has done inspirational and transformative work breaking new ground in classical music. [10]
An organisation with the same purpose as The Chineke! Foundation, and one supported by a member of the orchestra, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, is Black Lives in Music.[11]
Premieres
editChineke! has given world premieres of new works by black composers including:
- James Wilson, The Green Fuse - Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham, 10 July 2017[12]
- Hannah Kendall, The Spark Catchers - BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, London, 30 August 2017[13]
- Daniel Kidane, Dream Song - Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 9 April 2018[14]
- Julian Joseph, Carry That Sound - Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 21 July 2018[15]
- Errollyn Wallen, Nnenna, November 2018 Cambridge Festival
- James Wilson, Free-man - St. George's, Bristol, 17 May 2019[16]
- Roderick Williams, Three Songs from Ethiopia Boy - Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 7 July 2019[17]
- James Wilson, with Yomi Sode, Remnants, première 23 November 2020 at Southbank Centre, London.[18][19]
- Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Daniel Kidane, Shirley Thompson, Roderick Williams: Song of the Prophets: Requiem for the Climate, July 2021
- Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Blush; Edinburgh Festival August 2021
- Meena Karimi, Dawn; UK/European premiere Queen Elizabeth Hall, London October 2021
- Joan Armatrading (also a singer-songwriter), Symphony No. 1; Southbank Centre, London; November 2023[20][21]
Discography
edit- Signum Classics - Sibelius: Finlandia; Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 - Kevin John Edusei, conductor (1 CD, released 7 July 2017)
- Signum Classics - Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3; Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 - Gerard Aimontche, piano; Roderick Cox, conductor (2 CDs, released 28 September 2018)
- Orchid Classics - Stewart Goodyear: Callaloo, Piano Sonata; George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue - Stewart Goodyear, piano; Wayne Marshall, conductor (1 CD, released 31 May 2019)
- NMC - Roderick Williams: Three Songs from Ethiopia Boy - Roderick Williams, baritone; Eduardo Portal, conductor (Download only, released 18 October 2019)
- NMC - "Spark Catchers" - Errollyn Wallen: Concerto Grosso; James Wilson: The Green Fuse; Daniel Kidane: Dream Song; Hannah Kendall: The Spark Catchers; Philip Herbert: Elegy: In Memoriam - Stephen Lawrence; Julian Joseph: Carry That Sound - Roderick Williams, baritone; Tai Murray, violin; Chi-chi Nwanoku, double bass; Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano; Anthony Parnther, conductor; Kevin John Edusei, conductor; Wayne Marshall, conductor (1 CD, released 17 January 2020)
- The New Four Seasons composed by Max Richter and performed with soloist Elena Urioste (released 10 June 2022 on Deutsche Grammophon)
- Coleridge-Taylor - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: "Othello" Orchestral Suite Op. 79, African Suite op. 35, Ballade in A minor Op. 33, Petite suite de concert Op. 77, Violin concerto op. 80, Romance in G Op. 39, Nonet in F minor Op. 2, Avril Coleridge-Taylor: Sussex Landscape Op. 27; Elena Urioste, violin; Kalena Bovell, Roderick Cox, Kevin John Edusei, Fawzi Haimor, Anthony Partner, conductors (October 2022, Decca Records)
References
edit- ^ a b Duchen, Jessica (2015-09-01). "Chineke! Europe's first professional orchestra of black and minority ethnic musicians launches". The Independent. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
- ^ Chi-chi Nwanoku and Imogen Tilden (2015-06-02). "Chi-chi Nwanoku: 'I want black musicians to walk on to the stage and know they belong'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
- ^ a b Michael Church (2015-09-14). "Review: Europe's first professional BME orchestra offers flashes of brilliance". The Independent. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
- ^ a b Ginanne Bronwell Mitic (2017-04-24). "She Was the Orchestra's Only Black Musician, Until She Formed Her Own". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
- ^ a b Ivan Hewett (2017-08-16). "Inside Chineke!, Europe's first black and minority ethnic orchestra". Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
- ^ a b Cristina Burack (2017-09-15). "Chineke! champions black and ethnic musicians in classical music". Deustche Welle. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
- ^ George Hall (2015-09-14). "Chineke! Orchestra/Marshall review – the beginning of something culturally inspiring". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
- ^ Martin Kettle (2017-08-31). "RSPO/Oramo/Chineke!/Edusei review – rounded, exquisite, played to perfection". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
- ^ Kate Molleson (2017-07-06). "Dvořák: Symphony No 9; Sibelius: Finlandia review – tasteful restraint and explosive dynamism". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
- ^ "2019: Gamechanger". Royal Philharmonic Society.
- ^ "Black Lives in Music". Black Lives in Music. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ Liner notes for NMC album Spark Catchers
- ^ "Proms 2017 Prom 62: Chineke!". BBC. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
- ^ "Daniel Kidane's 'Dream Song' is premiered by Chineke! at the reopening of the Queen Elizabeth Hall". Rayfield Allied. Archived from the original on 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
- ^ "Chineke! and Wayne Marshall at Queen Elizabeth Hall – Julian Joseph premiere, Stewart Goodyear plays Rhapsody in Blue". ClassicalSource. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
- ^ Morton, May (2019-05-17). "Music Inspired by Bristol Civil Rights Campaigner". Bristol247. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
- ^ "Three Songs from Ethiopia Boy". ethiobeauty. 2019-06-08. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ "Orchestral creation inspired by iconic protest moment". BBC News. 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Black Legacies". Southbank Centre. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ Morris, Hugh (12 November 2023). "For Joan Armatrading, Classical Music Is Just Another Genre". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ Lewis, Isobel (25 April 2023). "Joan Armatrading's first classical symphony to be performed at Queen Elizabeth Hall". The Independent. Retrieved 25 November 2023.