'Songs of Africa' from Oxford University Press Collection Released on CD by AMP Records

[Songs of Africa: Selected performances from the collection by Oxford University Press; Photo credit, Alicia Strong, Kirkwood Community College Choir; AMP Records AGCD 2083 (2008)]

On August 7, 2008 AfriClassical posted: “Oxford University Press: 'Songs of Africa', Compiled and Edited by Fred Onovwerosuoke”. The book is a paperback and has 140 pages. Here is an excerpt from the post: “The songs cover subjects such as spirituality, religion, community, work, and play, and are selected from many African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Benin Republic, South Africa, Namibia, and Gambia.” Today we are pleased to inform our readers of the release of a companion CD, Songs of Africa: Selected performances from the collection by Oxford University Press; Photo credit, Alicia Strong, Kirkwood Community College Choir; AMP Records AGCD 2083 (2008). The Executive Producer is Dr. Fred Onovwerosuoke, Founder of the ensemble originally known as the St. Louis African Chorus.

The African Chorus website explains the group's mission and its new name: “The African Musical Arts, Inc. (AMAInc), formerly African Chorus, was founded to foster a better understanding of Africa’s cultures through the musical arts.” The liner notes of the CD read, in part: “If you have the book then you already noticed that this CD features only 13 of the 22 songs in the book.” All of the tracks were recorded live by one of seven choral groups, whose warm and energetic performances evoked loud applause from the audiences: 

Kirkwood Community College Choir – Ray Salucka, director

Winneba Youth Choir – John Francis Arthur-Yamoah, director

Boys Choir of Kenya – J. Muyale Inzai, director

Namibia National Youth Choir – Ernst van Biljon, director

Muungano National Choir – Boniface Mganga, director

Village Harmony Youth Camp – Fred Onovwerosuoke, instructor

St. Louis African Chorus – Ablawa Reine, coordinator

Songs of Africa CD
St. Louis African Chorus
African Musical Arts
Fred Onovwerosuoke
Oxford University Press
African Choral Music