We spoke to Rebeca Omordia, pianist and founder of the African Concert Series, about Outside the Lines, Vol. 6, coming in November on Nonclassical.
how did the african concert series first come about? what was the genesis of the project?
I started researching the African art music repertoire more than a decade ago as I wanted to find out whether there was any piano music by Nigerian composers. I discovered not only hundreds of piano pieces but songs and chamber repertoire – it was fascinating! In 2013 I formed a partnership with the Nigeria High Commission in London to promote Nigerian classical music to a UK audience, and then made further partnerships with the Nigerian mayors of various London boroughs, all of whom created opportunities for me to perform these works in London. It became a pioneering work for me and I gradually started including the piano works in my piano recitals: they were well-received by the audience and the critics. In 2018 I released my first album, Ekele: Piano Music by African Composers, on the Heritage label, and in 2019, with the purpose of creating a platform for this music to be performed, I launched the African Concert Series at the October Gallery in London, featuring monthly concerts. Now in its fifth year, the series has joined Wigmore Hall’s Family of Partners.
the african concert series, in your own words, is about reflecting “the depth and diversity of african art music, the richly diverse genre of music which forms a bridge between western classical music and traditional african music.” how is this ethos reflected in the curation of the ep?
Africa is a diverse continent, each country with its own ethnic groups that speak hundreds of different languages and have different cultures, all reflected in the musical tradition, characteristic to every region. When writing African art music, composers used characteristic rhythms and melodies from their own ethnic groups while writing in a Western classical idiom. This aspect is reflected in the curation of the EP through the diversity of the sound world - e.g. music from various regions of Africa, music for Western or African traditional instruments or in combination; the added electronic feature brings an innovative, contemporary feel.
Bex Burch and Afla Sackey perform at Nonclassical x The African Concert Series (2022): Image © Dimitri Djuric
there’s so much talent out there working in african art music and its related genres – how did this influence your curation of the ep? did it make your life difficult?
I find it fascinating working with new artists and every project is a fantastic opportunity to discover new talent and new music, as well as learning more about the richly diverse African art music genre.
what excited you most about the collaboration with nonclassical?
I’ve always admired Gabriel Prokofiev’s groundbreaking work with Nonclassical and I’ve always been open to experimenting with new sound worlds. Working with Nonclassical was exciting right from the start; blending African art music with modern electronic sounds created a unique fusion rooted in tradition and innovative thinking. For my track “Igbo Dances” in collaboration with Gabriel Prokofiev, combining an acoustic performance with field recordings resulted in a sound world transporting the listener to Igboland in Nigeria where the piece is inspired from.
what do you hope emerges from this ep and collaboration?
Working with Nonclassical has not only resulted in a fusion of music styles but has also been a great opportunity to reach new audiences. The aim of the African Concert Series is to bring African classical music to the Western audience and to unravel the cultural diversity of the African continent reflected in its music. I believe this EP will help us reach a wider audience while also giving us the opportunity to discover and work with new artists.
what’s the future for the african concert series? what do you have planned for the next year?
The African Concert Series has been resident at Wigmore Hall since 2021 and for next year we are planning new concerts at the venue exploring the African art music in all its forms. We also have an educational programme featuring Family and Schools concerts which we are planning to bring to the venue as well as to various schools across London.
