Chineke! Orchestra () 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". The orchestra was founded by musician Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE and their debut concert was in 2015 at

Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by Benjamin Britten. The ...

in London.

Background

Nwanoku, the orchestra's founder, coined its name from the word "

Chi Chi or CHI may refer to: Greek *Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ); Chinese * ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter * Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon * Chi (surname) (池, pinyin: ''chí ...

" in the Igbo language, which refers to "the god of creation of all good things", or "the spirit of creation". She was inspired by the use of the term in the novel '' Things Fall Apart'' by Chinua Achebe. 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. She also took inspiration from attending a London concert of the

Kinshasa Symphony ''Kinshasa Symphony'' is a German 2010 documentary film. Synopsis Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the third-largest city in Africa with 10 million inhabitants. The film shows how some people living there have m ...

, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the orchestra was all-black, but the audience was almost entirely white.

History

The 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 Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...

in London in September 2015, conducted by Wayne Marshall, and highlighting works by

Black British Black British people are a multi-ethnic group of British citizens of either African or Afro-Caribbean descent.Gadsby, Meredith (2006), ''Sucking Salt: Caribbean Women Writers, Migration, and Survival'', University of Missouri Press, pp. 76–7 ...

composers, such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s ''Ballade for Orchestra'' and ''Elegy: In memoriam – Stephen Lawrence'' by Philip Herbert. The orchestra for its first two concerts comprised exclusively black, Asian and minority ethnic musicians, but it has since included white musicians. 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 Kevin John Edusei (born 1976) is a German conductor. He is in his eighth and final season as Chief Conductor of Munich Symphony Orchestra, and from the 2022/2023 season will be Principal Guest Conductor of Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Biogra ...

. In 2017, the orchestra made its first commercial recording for the Signum label, conducted by Edusei. 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.

Premieres

Chineke! has given world premieres of new works by black composers including: *James Wilson, ''The Green Fuse'' - Pittville Pump Room,

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

, 10 July 2017Liner notes for NMC album ''Spark Catchers'' * Hannah Kendall, ''The Spark Catchers'' - BBC Proms,

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

, London, 30 August 2017 * Daniel Kidane, ''Dream Song'' -

, London, 9 April 2018 * Julian Joseph, ''Carry That Sound'' - Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 21 July 2018 * Errollyn Wallen, Nnenna, November 2018 Cambridge Festival *James Wilson, ''Free-man'' - St. George's, Bristol, 17 May 2019 * Roderick Williams, ''Three Songs from Ethiopia Boy'' - Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 7 July 2019 *James Wilson, with Yomi Sode, ''Remnants'', première 23 November 2020 at

, London. * 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

Discography

Signum Classics Signum Records, also known as Signum Classics, is a classical musical record label in the UK founded in 1997. The label began with a project to make the first recording of the complete works of Thomas Tallis. The artists for the Tallis recordin ...

- 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 Stewart Goodyear (born February 1978) is a Canadian concert pianist and composer. He is best known for performing all 32 Beethoven sonatas in a single day, a feat he has done at Koerner Hall (Toronto), McCarter Theatre (Princeton), the Mondavi C ...

: 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 Tai Murray (born ) is an American violinist. According to Murray, she became interested in the violin when her parents "put a pencil case with a toy violin in my hand when I was five". Born in Chicago, Illinois, Murray made her concert debut with t ...

, violin; Chi-chi Nwanoku, double bass; Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano;

Anthony Parnther Anthony Parnther is an American conducting, conductor, Bassoon, bassoonist, and educator. In 2019 he was appointed music director and conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra in San Bernardino, California. He is also the music directo ...

, conductor;

, conductor; Wayne Marshall, conductor (1 CD, released 17 January 2020) *''The New Four Seasons'' composed by

Max Richter Max Richter (; ; born 22 March 1966) is a German-born British composer and pianist. He works within postminimalist and contemporary classical styles. Richter is classically trained, having graduated in composition from the University of Edinbur ...

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 Gwendolen Avril Coleridge-Taylor (8 March 190321 December 1998) was an English pianist, conductor, and composer. She was the daughter of composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and his wife Jessie (née Walmisley). Personal life She was born in South ...

: Sussex Landscape Op. 27; Elena Urioste, violin;

Kalena Bovell Kalena Bovell is an American conductor. As of 2020, Bovell, who has both African-American and Hispanic ancestry, was the only conductor in the United States of African-American and Hispanic descent. She is currently assistant conductor of the Mem ...

, Roderick Cox, Kevin John Edusei, Fawzi Haimor, Anthony Partner, conductors (October 2022,

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

)

References

External links

*
Challenge Records page on Signum Classics SIGCD 515
{{authority control British orchestras British classical music groups Musical groups established in 2015 2015 establishments in the United Kingdom