Chineke! Orchestra
British orchestra

Chineke! Orchestra (/ˈtʃɪnɛkeɪ/[needs Igbo IPA]) 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".[1] The orchestra was founded by musician Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE and their debut concert was in 2015 at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

Background

Nwanoku, the orchestra's founder, coined its name from the word "Chi" in the Igbo language,[2] which refers to "the god of creation of all good things",[1] or "the spirit of creation".[3] She was inspired by the use of the term in the 1958 novel Things Fall Apart by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe.[4]

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.[4][5] She also took inspiration from attending a London concert of the Kinshasa Symphony, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the orchestra was all black, but the audience was almost entirely white.[5][6]

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 in London in September 2015, conducted by Wayne Marshall, and highlighting works by Black British composers, such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade for Orchestra and Elegy: In memoriam – Stephen Lawrence by Philip Herbert.[7][3][8] The orchestra for its first two concerts comprised exclusively black, Asian and minority ethnic musicians, but it has since included white musicians.[6] 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.[9]

In 2017, the orchestra made its first commercial recording for the Signum label, conducted by Edusei.[10]

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. [11]

An organisation with the same purpose as The Chineke! Foundation, and one supported by a member of the orchestra, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, is Black Lives in Music.[12]

Premieres

Chineke! has given world premieres of new works by black composers including:

Discography

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Duchen, Jessica (1 September 2015). "Chineke! Europe's first professional orchestra of black and minority ethnic musicians launches". The Independent. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  2. ^ Nwanoku, Chi-chi; Imogen Tilden (2 June 2015). "Chi-chi Nwanoku: 'I want black musicians to walk on to the stage and know they belong'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  3. ^ a b Church, Michael (14 September 2015). "Review: Europe's first professional BME orchestra offers flashes of brilliance". The Independent. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b Mitic, Ginanne Bronwell (24 April 2017). "She Was the Orchestra's Only Black Musician, Until She Formed Her Own". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  5. ^ a b Hewett, Ivan (16 August 2017). "Inside Chineke!, Europe's first black and minority ethnic orchestra". Telegraph. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  6. ^ a b Burack, Cristina (15 September 2017). "Chineke! champions black and ethnic musicians in classical music". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Chineke! Orchestra make musical history". Southbank Centre. 13 September 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  8. ^ Hall, George (14 September 2015). "Chineke! Orchestra/Marshall review – the beginning of something culturally inspiring". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  9. ^ Kettle, Martin (31 August 2017). "RSPO/Oramo/Chineke!/Edusei review – rounded, exquisite, played to perfection". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  10. ^ Molleson, Kate (6 July 2017). "Dvořák: Symphony No 9; Sibelius: Finlandia review – tasteful restraint and explosive dynamism". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  11. ^ "2019: Gamechanger". Royal Philharmonic Society.
  12. ^ "Black Lives in Music". Black Lives in Music. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  13. ^ Liner notes for NMC album Spark Catchers.
  14. ^ "Proms 2017 Prom 62: Chineke!". BBC. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Daniel Kidane's 'Dream Song' is premiered by Chineke! at the reopening of the Queen Elizabeth Hall". Rayfield Allied. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  16. ^ "Chineke! and Wayne Marshall at Queen Elizabeth Hall – Julian Joseph premiere, Stewart Goodyear plays Rhapsody in Blue". ClassicalSource. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  17. ^ Morton, May (17 May 2019). "Music Inspired by Bristol Civil Rights Campaigner". Bristol247. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  18. ^ "Three Songs from Ethiopia Boy". ethiobeauty. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Black Lives Matter: Orchestra creates music inspired by iconic protest moment". BBC News. 20 October 2020.
  20. ^ Pullinger, Mark (20 October 2020). "Black legacies explored by Chineke! at the Royal Festival Hall". bachtrack. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Chineke! Orchestra teams up with Christian Aid to highlight the climate emergency". Classic FM. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  22. ^ Morris, Hugh (12 November 2023). "For Joan Armatrading, Classical Music Is Just Another Genre". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  23. ^ Lewis, Isobel (25 April 2023). "Joan Armatrading's first classical symphony to be performed at Queen Elizabeth Hall". The Independent. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  • Official website
  • Challenge Records page on Signum Classics SIGCD 515
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