{"id":444,"date":"2021-04-30T12:18:44","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T17:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theprimaveraproject.com\/?post_type=composer&p=444"},"modified":"2023-10-26T11:15:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T16:15:04","slug":"nkeiru-okoye","status":"publish","type":"composer","link":"https:\/\/www.theprimaveraproject.com\/composer\/nkeiru-okoye\/","title":{"rendered":"Nkeiru Okoye"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo credit: courtesy of Nkeiru Okoye<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Breaking Bread<\/strong><\/em> (2022)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRIMAVERA IV the heart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Euba’s Dance<\/strong><\/em> (2020)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRIMAVERA I the wind<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

from the composer<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Euba\u2019s Dance<\/em> is named after the Nigerian scholar, ethnomusicologist, and composer, Dr. Akin Euba  [ah KEEN    YOU bah].  Dr. Euba famously coined the phrase, \u201cAfrican pianism\u201d to describe the inclination of many African composers to use the piano\u2019s percussive effects. I had been doing this for years before meeting Dr. Euba, using some of the same \u201ccolor chords\u201d that are in this lively dance etude. Euba\u2019s Dance<\/em> is dedicated to Matt, and my Oberlin sister Luna who introduced me to this project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

bio<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A composer with a gift for incorporating many influences and styles within her work, Nkeiru Okoye is perhaps best known for her opera, \u201cHarriet Tubman: When I Crossed that Line to Freedom<\/a>,\u201d the orchestral work, \u201cVoices Shouting Out<\/a>,\u201d which is an artistic response to 9\/11, and her suite, \u201cAfrican Sketches<\/a>,\u201d which has been performed by pianists around the globe. Dr. Okoye is a Guggenheim Fellow. She is profiled in the, \u201cMusic of Black Composers Coloring Book,\u201d and Routledge\u2019s \u201cAfrican American Music: An Introduction\u201d textbook. She is the inaugural recipient of the International Florence Price Award for Composition. A recent New York Times article mentioned, \u201cOkoye\u2019s work would make a fitting grand opening for an opera company\u2019s post-pandemic relaunch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State of Michigan issued a proclamation acknowledging Dr. Okoye\u2019s \u201cextraordinary contributions\u201d to the history of Detroit, Michigan, for \u201cBlack Bottom<\/a>,\u201d a symphonic experience commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, in celebration of the centennial season of Orchestra Hall. Her other recent works include \u201cTales from the Briar Patch<\/a>,\u201d commissioned by The American Opera Project, and \u201cCharlotte Mecklenburg,\u201d commissioned by the Charlotte Symphony.  Some of her upcoming compositions for the 2021-2022 season include \u201cEuba\u2019s Dance,\u201d for cellist Matt Haimowitz, \u201cWhen young spring comes\u201d for pianist and NPR Host, Laura Downes, and a micro-opera, \u201c600 Square Feet,\u201d for Cleveland Opera Theatre.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Okoye is a board member of Composers Now!. She holds a BM in Composition from Oberlin Conservatory, and a PhD in Music Theory and Composition from Rutgers University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

nkeiruokoye.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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