Filtering by: Chineke! Orchestra

Black Landscapes: Chineke! Orchestra & Nicolas Van Poucke at Royal Festival Hall
Oct
12
7:30 pm19:30

Black Landscapes: Chineke! Orchestra & Nicolas Van Poucke at Royal Festival Hall

Nicolas van Poucke - photo by Maarten Kools

Nicolas van Poucke - photo by Maarten Kools

Chineke! Orchestra returns for its first streamed concert of the season!

Recorded at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, the orchestra will perform works by pioneering Black women composers and the concerto that marked Beethoven’s first steps towards Romanticism. We are delighted to be joined once more by American conductor Roderick Cox, who made his London debut with Chineke! at Royal Festival Hall in 2017.


Pianist, composer and conductor Avril Coleridge-Taylor followed in the footsteps of her father, the British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who died when she was just nine years old. In a career spanning the twentieth century, she wrote chamber works and several shorter pieces for full orchestra which include her tone poem Sussex Landscape, inspired by a place familiar to her and where she was to spend the final years of her life.


The C minor key of the Beethoven Piano Concerto no 3. reflects the turbulence of the composer’s life at the time of its writing, marking the onset of his hearing loss. He himself was the soloist at its premier in 1803 and for this performance, Dutch pianist Nicolas van Pouke takes centre stage in his Royal Festival Hall debut with Chineke! 


Trailblazer Florence B. Price’s first Symphony won the Rodman Wanamaker Contest when it was submitted for consideration in 1932, paving the way for her to become the first female African-American composer to have work performed by a major orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This piece references the melodies of traditional spirituals, as well as West African rhythms and the Romantic symphonic themes of Dvořák.

Read a review of the concert by Fiona Maddocks of The Observer.

Performers

Chineke! Orchestra

Roderick Cox, conductor

Nicolas van Poucke, piano

Repertoire

Avril Coleridge-Taylor Sussex Landscape Op 27 (12 mins)

Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 in C minor (34 mins)

Florence B. Price Symphony No 1 in E minor (40 mins)

*This event will be streamed on the Chineke! Foundation’s YouTube channel for two weeks from 7.30pm on Monday 12 October 2020, and will be available to view for FREE during this time. Chineke! Foundation will allow donors to access the concert in full after the streaming period.

Help us continue to deliver world-class performances by Black, Asian and ethnically diverse artists by making a donation.

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Prom 5: CBeebies: A Musical Trip to the Moon
Jul
22
11:00 am11:00

Prom 5: CBeebies: A Musical Trip to the Moon

John Adams Short Ride in a Fast Machine

Benjamin Britten The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Aaron Copland Fanfare for the Common Man

Giacomo Puccini Madam Butterfly – Humming Chorus

Hans Zimmer Earth

Kwamé Ryan, conductor

Join favourite CBeebies presenters for a family Prom designed to fire youthful imaginations and demonstrate the power of dreaming big.

Young musical astronauts can follow in the footsteps of the Apollo 11 mission, experiencing new adventures along the way – including a meeting with the Clangers.

The concert also features a new BBC Ten Pieces Trailblazers commission by film music’s living legend Hans Zimmer, which imagines how our Earth appears as seen from the Moon.

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Prom 3: CBeebies: A Musical Trip to the Moon
Jul
21
11:00 am11:00

Prom 3: CBeebies: A Musical Trip to the Moon

John Adams Short Ride in a Fast Machine

Benjamin Britten The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Aaron Copland Fanfare for the Common Man

Giacomo Puccini Madam Butterfly – Humming Chorus

Hans Zimmer Earth

Kwamé Ryan, conductor

Join favourite CBeebies presenters for a family Prom designed to fire youthful imaginations and demonstrate the power of dreaming big.

Young musical astronauts can follow in the footsteps of the Apollo 11 mission, experiencing new adventures along the way – including a meeting with the Clangers.

The concert also features a new BBC Ten Pieces Trailblazers commission by film music’s living legend Hans Zimmer, which imagines how our Earth appears as seen from the Moon.

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Chineke! Ensemble at Petworth Festival
Jul
20
8:00 pm20:00

Chineke! Ensemble at Petworth Festival

Strauss (arr Hasenöhrl) Till Eulenspiegel einmal anders!
Errollyn Wallen Nnenna
Mozart Oboe Quartet in F, K. 370
Saint-Saëns Septet in E flat, Op. 65
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Nonet in F minor, Op. 2

The Chineke! Ensemble comprises the principal players of the Chineke! Orchestra which was founded in 2015 by the double bass player, Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, to give career opportunities to black, minority ethnic musicians in the UK and from across the world. Chineke!'s mission is "championing change and celebrating diversity in classical music."

The Chineke! Ensemble has performed in many chamber music series across England and abroad, including Bristol, Chatham, Cheltenham, Rome, Rotterdam, Ryedale, Manchester, Tonbridge, Wimbledon and at Wigmore Hall in London. The Chineke! Ensemble is delighted to be making its debut at The Petworth Festival.

In every programme, Chineke! features a work or works by composers of BME heritage. In this case there are two such works: the Nonet by the teenage Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. The son of a doctor from Sierra Leone and an English mother, Coleridge-Taylor was a contemporary of Elgar, Holst and Vaughan Williams. The work is scored for four string players, four wind players and piano, and abounds in delightful melodies and virtuoso writing.

Errollyn Wallen's NNENNA was premiered at the Cambridge Festival in November 2018 and is scored for Septet forces.

We begin the concert with a virtuosic arrangement of Strauss’s tone poem Till Eulenspiegel einmal anders!. Saint-Saëns' Septet was written in 1879-80 for the Parisian Chamber Music Society "La Trompette" - hence the unusual instrumentation of trumpet, string quintet and piano, in this attractive work full of catchy tunes. Mozart's ever popular Oboe Quartet completes the programme.

This concert is generously sponsored by the Franks Family and Belinda & John Horley.

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Jun
21
10:00 pm22:00

Wigmore Hall

One of the most exciting developments of recent years has been the foundation of Europe’s first majority BME orchestra, whose inaugural concert in 2015 was hailed by The Guardian as ‘culturally inspiring’. Here, the Chineke! Ensemble performs an early work by the English mixed-race composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and the London premiere of a recent work by Errollyn Wallen.

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Jun
20
8:00 pm20:00

The Stables Wavendon

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Nonet in F minor, Op.2
Errollyn Wallen: NNENNA 
Saint-Saëns: Septet in E flat major, Op.65 
WA Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F Major, K.370

The Chineke! Ensemble comprises the principal players of the Chineke! Orchestra which was founded in 2015 by the double bass player, Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, to give career opportunities to black, minority ethnic musicians in the UK and from across the world. Chineke!'s mission is "championing change and celebrating diversity in classical music." The Chineke! Ensemble has performed in many chamber music series across England and abroad, including Bristol, Chatham, Cheltenham, Rome, Rotterdam, Ryedale, Manchester, Tonbridge, Wimbledon and at Wigmore Hall in London. The Chineke! Ensemble is delighted to be making its debut at The Stables in Wavendon.

In every programme, Chineke! features a work or works by composers of BME heritage. In this case there are two such works: the Nonet by the teenage Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. The son of a doctor from Sierra Leone and an English mother, Coleridge-Taylor was a contemporary of Elgar, Holst and Vaughan Williams. The work is scored for four string players, four wind players and piano, and abounds in delightful melodies and virtuoso writing. Errollyn Wallen's Nnenna was premiered at the Cambridge Festival in November 2018 and is scored for Septet forces. Saint-Saëns' Septet was written in 1879-80 for the Parisian Chamber Music Society "La Trompette" - hence the unusual instrumentation of trumpet, string quintet and piano, in this attractive work full of catchy tunes. Mozart's ever popular Oboe Quartet completes the programme.

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Jun
16
4:00 pm16:00

THE BRIDGEWATER HALL, MANCHESTER

Chineke! Orchestra

For this afternoon concert, the Chineke! Orchestra perform Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Ballade, an attractively lyrical work that has become their signature piece, a lively new work by Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear and a stalwart symphony, Dvorák’s magnificent Seventh.


Wayne Marshall conductor
Stewart Goodyear piano

Programme:

Coleridge-Taylor Ballade in A minor
Stewart Goodyear Callaloo - Caribbean Suite for piano & orchestra
   -interval-
Dvorák Symphony No.7

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Jun
15
7:30 pm19:30

SYMPHONY HALL, BIRMINGHAM

Chineke! Orchestra

Callaloo, perhaps best known as a popular Caribbean dish, is also a virtuosic tour de force for piano and orchestra composed by young Canadian composer/pianist, Stewart Goodyear. Full of driving jazz rhythms and colourful orchestration, Callaloo is an immediately appealing work.

Having opened the last Birmingham Classical season, Chineke! make a welcome return as the final orchestra to perform in this season.


Wayne Marshall conductor
Stewart Goodyear piano

Programme:

Grieg Peer Gynt, Suite No.1
Stewart Goodyear Callaloo - Caribbean Suite for piano & orchestra
   -interval-
Dvorák Symphony No.7

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Jun
14
7:45 pm19:45

THE ANVIL, BASINGSTOKE

Chineke! Orchestra


The perennial freshness of Grieg’s music to Peer Gynt never fails to make an impact. Stewart Goodyear’s Callaloo is a tour de force for piano and orchestra which, with its jazz rhythms and colourful orchestration, has an immediate appeal. The concert ends with Dvořàk’s most powerful and dramatic symphony, first conducted in London by the composer himself to scenes of overwhelming enthusiasm. While influenced by the German tradition, it retains Dvořàk’s own winning brand of melody.


Wayne Marshall conductor
Stewart Goodyear piano

Programme:

Grieg Peer Gynt, Suite No.1
Stewart Goodyear Callaloo - Caribbean Suite for piano & orchestra
   -interval-
Dvorák Symphony No.7

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Jun
13
7:30 pm19:30

Queen Elizabeth Hall

Canadian composer/pianist, Stewart Goodyear, performs his own Callaloo, a virtuoso tour de force for piano and orchestra which, with its driving jazz rhythms and colourful orchestration, makes it an immediately appealing work.

Also, Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite brings a dash of Norwegian magic to the programme, and the orchestra also performs Dvorak's Symphony No.7.


Wayne Marshall conductor
Stewart Goodyear piano

Programme:

Grieg Peer Gynt, Suite No.1
Stewart Goodyear Callaloo - Caribbean Suite for piano & orchestra (London premiere)
-interval-
Dvorák Symphony No.7

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THE APEX, BURY ST EDMUNDS
May
26
7:30 pm19:30

THE APEX, BURY ST EDMUNDS

Programme:

Copland Music for the Theatre 
Ibert Divertissement 
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (jazz band version) 
Interval
Jessie Montgomery Starburst
Weill Suite from The Threepenny Opera 
Copland Old American Songs 
Gershwin Songs from Porgy and Bess

Wayne Marshall conductor 
Stewart Goodyear piano 
Nadine Benjamin soprano 
Peter Brathwaite baritone


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THE FORUM, BATH
May
25
7:30 pm19:30

THE FORUM, BATH

Copland Music for the Theatre 
Ibert Divertissement 
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (jazz band version) 
Interval
Jessie Montgomery Starburst
Weill Suite from The Threepenny Opera 
Copland Old American Songs 
Gershwin Songs from Porgy and Bess

Wayne Marshall conductor 
Stewart Goodyear piano 
Nadine Benjamin soprano 
Peter Brathwaite baritone


Chineke! is a thrilling phenomenon. The first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of primarily black and minority ethnic musicians, it made a smash debut at the 2017 Proms. With its aim of ‘championing change and celebrating diversity in classical music’ it offers brilliant and inclusive performances for the 21st century. Their programme includes the fabulous Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin as well as timeless songs from Porgy and Bess.

‘Arguably one of the most important concerts that the Proms have ever hosted’ GUARDIAN

In Partnership with
Bath Spa Uni Logo

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THE DOME, BRIGHTON
May
23
7:30 pm19:30

THE DOME, BRIGHTON

Programme:

Copland Music for the Theatre 
Ibert Divertissement 
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (jazz band version) 
Interval
Jessie Montgomery Starburst
Weill Suite from The Threepenny Opera 
Copland Old American Songs 
Gershwin Songs from Porgy and Bess

Wayne Marshall conductor 
Stewart Goodyear piano 
Nadine Benjamin soprano 
Peter Brathwaite baritone


Making a welcome return to this year’s Festival, Chineke! bring their extraordinary energy and enthusiasm to this evening’s performance, taking us on a journey through the 1920s from New York to Weill’s Vienna.



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Sound Unbound 2019
May
19
2:30 pm14:30

Sound Unbound 2019

Holst St Paul’s Suite

Philip Herbert Elegy: in memoriam, Stephen Lawrence

Britten Simple Symphony

Michael Rakotoarivony, conductor

A free music festival of unexpected sounds in unexpected places.

Music will burst from the Barbican and out across Culture Mile’s architectural gems with a line-up of artists for whom the boundaries between classical and contemporary, experimental and jazz are blurred – or never even existed in the first place.

At 3.30pm, on stage after the concert there will be a talk with our founder Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE and Huw Humphreys, Head of Music at the Barbican Centre.

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May
17
7:30 pm19:30

St George's Bristol

Mendelssohn String Symphony No 10 in B minor
James Wilson World Premiere
Holst St Paul’s Suite
Britten Simple Symphony

Chineke! is St George’s resident orchestra, and is also Europe’s first professional orchestra comprising a majority of black and minority ethnic musicians, founded by the pioneering double bass player Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE.

Chineke! returns to St George’s with a delightful programme of music for string orchestra, plus a brand new work by talented young composer James B Wilson. Commissioned by St George’s in collaboration with Chineke! Orchestra, this new piece will celebrate the incredible life and work of one of Bristol’s most iconic civil rights leaders, Dr Paul Stephenson OBE.

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Apr
28
7:00 pm19:00

Carl Craig with Chineke!

Carl Craig will continue to stretch the boundaries of techno as he joins forces with the Chineke! Orchestra to present Versus, the orchestral adaptation of his music, alongside his greatest hits.

A creative visionary, world-class DJ and ambassador for his native Detroit, composer Carl Craig is famously known for his groundbreaking approach to electronic music.

The Chineke! Orchestra is the Chineke! Foundation’s flagship ensemble and Europe’s first majority-BME orchestra. Their mission is to ‘champion change and celebrate diversity in classical music’.

This special night is one of the headline events of the Royal Albert Hall’s 2019 Love Classical season, which celebrates some of the most distinctive and original voices in classical music today.

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Apr
22
7:30 pm19:30

Chineke! marks Stephen Lawrence Day

Errollyn Wallen: Concerto Grosso for violin, double bass & piano
Philip Herbert: Elegy: in memoriam, Stephen Lawrence
Jessie Montgomery: Starburst
Avril Coleridge-Taylor: Sussex Landscape, Op.27
-interval
Beethoven: Symphony No.8

The orchestra marks the first Stephen Lawrence Day, held on the anniversary of the teenager's murder in 1993, with a concert of works by BME composers, concluding with Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony. Conductor Michael Morgan makes his Chineke! debut. Preceding the concert will be a panel discussion at 5pm, on the subject of social injustice, gang culture and racial inequality.

Chineke! Orchestra performs Errollyn Wallen's upbeat Concerto Grosso for piano, violin and double bass, Philip Herbert's Elegy, written in memory of Lawrence and featuring an orchestra of 18 string players – one for each year of his life, and the sparkling Starburst by the young American composer, Jessie Montgomery. Avril Coleridge-Taylor’s Sussex Landscape receives a rare performance, an expansive reflection on the beauty of that part of southern England where she spent the final years of her life.

Beethoven's joyous Eighth Symphony rounds off the evening.

Chineke! has recorded the works by Wallen and Herbert which will be released by NMC Recordings later this year. This new album will also include the music of other BME composers whom Chineke! has championed over the past three years.

The panel talk at 5pm will be moderated by Emma Dabiri, Social Historian, Writer & Broadcaster with a distinguished panel of speakers including Imran Khan QC; Dean Atta, poet and writer of 'I am Nobody's Nigger' following murder of Stephen Lawrence; Gus Nwanokwu, teacher, manager & author of Black Shamrocks, Sophie Linden (Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime); Chi-chi Nwanoku double bassist, Founder, Artistic & Executive Director Chineke!

Performers

Chineke! Orchestra 
Michael Morgan conductor
Kelly-Hall Tompkins violin
Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE double bass
Rebeca Omordia piano

The Chineke! Junior Orchestra will also be marking the day with a performance at 3.30pm. Click here for more details (free entry).

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