The African Concert Series London serves as a showcase for the works of numerous African classical composers. It promotes cross-cultural education, offering a space where both adults and children can immerse themselves in African culture via its musical expressions. This series acts as a catalyst for inspiring the younger generation to delve into their heritage and influences our perception of classical music.
The African Concert Series has as its patron Julian Lloyd Weber:
“I am delighted to become a Patron of the wonderful African Concert Series. It’s a great initiative, which deserves to go from strength to strength and I look forward to hearing more fantastic music and performances.”
Pianist Rebeca Omordia is curator of the series:
“Bringing African classical music to the Western audience was right from the start an endeavour meant to unravel the cultural diversity of the African continent, reflected in its music, and to create a platform for the African classical music to be performed”.
Rebeca Omordia
The 6th African Concert Series will be taking place at Wigmore Hall, starting February 8th – and, as usual, is not to be missed.
2024 will be the sixth season of the African Concert Series and it has become the platform for the music of hundreds of composers from Africa and the African diaspora!
Family & Schools Concerts
In the early part of 2023, the African Concert Series launched a series of educational interactive events in Enfield in north London, and are now able to bring them to Wigmore Hall, featuring a Schools Concert on 8 February and a Family Concert on 15 February.
African Concert Series Day
On February 17th at Wigmore Hall, there will be a whole day of concerts devoted to celebrating music and musicians from Africa, as well those of African heritage.
- 11.30AMThe day will start with a recital of African Piano music from the Ghanaian pianist William Chapman Nyaho whose initiative championing the piano repertoire of composers of African descent was described by acclaimed American poet Maya Angelou as “exquisite musicianship and courage”, bringing to an audience music which for the most part had never been heard before.
- 3.00PM This will be followed by Spirituals arranged for double bass and piano by double bass virtuoso Leon Bosch, accompanied by pianist Rebeca Omordia. Leon Bosch was for many years Principal bass with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, before becoming a renowned international soloist and conductor as well as the founder of the ensembles I Musicanti and Ubuntu.
- 7.30PMThe evening will end with composer and multi-instrumentalist, the ever-popular Tunde Jegede who will perform his Kora Concerto with NOK Orchestra and percussionist Mohamed Gueye. Tunde Jegede is one of the only composers in the world trained in both Western and African musical traditions. In his Kora Concerto, he set out to capture in his own words “the musical worlds of West Africa … whilst remaining true to the classical tradition”.
You can find out more about The African Concert Series here.
“Exhilarating brilliance and kaleidoscopic variety”
