Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Dr. Oyebade Dosunmu Leads Fela Sowande Singers in 'An Evening of Sacred Music by Nigerian Composers'


[Dr. Oyebade Dosunmu]

Dr. Oyebade Dosunmu leads the Fela Sowande Singers in the ensemble's debut performance this evening at 8:00 p.m. in Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh.

Dr. Oyebade Dosunmu straddles multiple spheres of creative and academic discourse. Holding a B.A (Music Performance) from Obafemi Awolowo University and a PhD (Ethnomusicology) from the University of Pittsburgh, he is actively engaged in music(ological) circles in Nigeria and abroad. In Nigeria, he is a long standing member of the prestigious Laz Ekwueme Choral, and has featured as tenor soloist in such venues as the Arch Bishop Vining Memorial Cathedral (performing Mozart’s Twelfth Mass) and the MUSON center’s Agip Hall (performing Handel’s Messiah and other works). In the fall of 2009, Oyebade performed a selection of Joshua Uzoigwe’s vocal solos at the Chatham University Music Festival ‘Sounds of Africa’ held in Pittsburgh. Last summer he revisited the same demanding repertoire at the Symposium and Festival of the Center for Intercultural Music at Churchill College, Cambridge, England. He has directed various choirs, and in 2005 formed Elekoto, a Pittsburgh-based African choral music ensemble. Oyebade is well at home with both African and Western art music repertoires, and is currently a choral scholar at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

Outside the scope of performance, Oyebade is actively engaged in a wide range of scholarly pursuits. He has taught several music courses at the University of Pittsburgh; has delivered papers at various academic conferences internationally; contributed a chapter to the Festschrift, Multiple Interpretations of Dynamics of Creativity and Knowledge in African Music Traditions; and written for non-profit organizations. Oyebade is the recipient of several awards, including the 2007 Andrew Mellon Predoctoral Fellowship. 

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