Chineke! Orchestra presents a potent and provocative programme of contemporary and classical works, conducted by Kevin John Edusei.

London-born Samuel Coleridge-Taylor often made reference to his Sierra Leonean ancestry in his music. Originally written for piano, the orchestral arrangement of African Suite imagines the energy and vitality of the continent he dreamed of visiting, using the vocabulary of his European classical training.

As the first African-American woman to have her work performed by a major American orchestra, Florence B. Price enjoyed widespread acclaim during her heyday in the 1930s and 1940s. The Piano Concerto in One Movement is a new edition of the composer’s original 1934 orchestration, and we're delighted that Jeneba Kanneh-Mason will make her debut solo performance with Chineke!.

Chineke! will present the world premiere of James B.Wilson’s latest commission, a collaboration with poet Yomi Sode. The work is inspired by a seminal moment in the recent Black Lives Matter protests in the UK, immortalized in the image captured by Thomson Reuters photographer Dylan Martinez.

Beethoven’s celebrated Symphony No. 5 opens with the ominous notes of ‘fate knocking at the door’, marking Chineke!’s final nod to the composer in his 250th anniversary year.

Repertoire

SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR African Suite

JAMES B WILSON/YOMI SODE Remnants (World Premiere)

FLORENCE B. PRICE Piano Concerto in One Movement

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 in C minor

Performers

Chineke! Orchestra

Yomi Sode spoken word

Jeneba Kanneh-Mason piano

Kevin John Edusei conductor

This event was recorded at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall and is exclusively live-streamed on YouTube on Monday 23 November as part of the Southbank Centre’s ‘Inside Out’ season. It was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 for BBC Sounds on Monday 19 October.