The National Symphony Orchestra Ghana (NSO Ghana) is the national symphony orchestra of

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. NSO Ghana was founded in 1959 by order of

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...

, and established by

Philip Gbeho Philip Comi Gbeho (14 January 1904 – 24 September 1976) was a Ghanaian musician, composer and teacher. He is best known for his composition of the God Bless Our Homeland Ghana, Ghana National Anthem. He was instrumental in the establishment o ...

(who had composed the Ghanaian national anthem in 1957), together with the musician Amihud (Ami) Elroy from Israel who was especially invited to Ghana for the three years establishment mission. NSO Ghana was the only classical symphony orchestra in

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

outside of South Africa until

Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste The Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste (OSK), or Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra, is a Congolese orchestra based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. For many years, the OSK was the only orchestra known to reside in Central Africa, though ...

was created in Congo in 1994. The orchestra is based in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

, the nation's capital, and is a government organization, with its own administration under the control of the National Commission on Culture. NSO Ghana

It performs regularly at the National Theatre (Accra), National Theatre in Accra.

Conductor

Since 2005, the orchestra has been conducted by Isaac Annoh, who serves as the orchestra's music director. Former conductors include Phllip Gbeho, Amihud Elroy, Geoffery Boateng, Dinah Reindorf, Nana Danso Abiam, Kenn Kafui, Emmanuel Gyimah Labi,

Akosua Obuo Addo Akosua is an Akan given name to a female child born on Sunday (Kwasiada). Although some might believe it is mostly practised by the Ashanti people, it is actually practised by all Akan (i.e Ashanti, Akuapem, Akyem, Fante) people who follow tr ...

George Dorf George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...

Oscar Sulley Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

Kweku Acquaah-Harrison Kwaku, alternatively Kweku, is an Ashanti given name to Ashanti male children born on Wednesday from the Ashanti people ethnic group. Kwaku and Kweku may refer to: People Kwaku * Kwaku Alston, American photographer * Kwaku Bediako (born 19 ...

and Lahnor Adjartey Adjei.

Profile

The orchestra comprises 46 musicians, of which 32 are full-time and 14 are part-time. In the past, the instrumentation has been as high as 47. The instrumentation includes 3 flutes, 1 oboe, 2 clarinets, 1 bassoon, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, 2 horns, 1 tuba, 5 drummers and percussionists (including traditional African drums, bells, and rattles), 8 violin I, 6 violin II, 5 violas, 5 cellos, and 3 double basses. The orchestra sometimes performs with a choir.

Performances

The National Symphony Orchestra Ghana has performed at such state functions such as Emancipation Day and visits of foreign dignitaries such as

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...

, and the

Sultan of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...

. The orchestra has also performed at the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC), PANAFEST, and Septemberfest, as well as at various fundraising programs. Additionally, it performs at schools, hotels, weddings, and funerals, as well as at Easter and Christmas concerts. Since 1996, the orchestra has presented an African Composer's Series, in which it performs the works of composers from Ghana and other African nations.

External links

National Symphony Orchestra Ghana official siteNational Symphony Orchestra Ghana page
(mentions his conducting the Ghana National Symphony Orchestra) {{authority control Ghanaian musical groups Ghanaian orchestras Musical groups established in 1959 Accra 1959 establishments in Ghana