Thursday, January 12, 2012

Pianist William Chapman Nyaho Jan. 15, 3 PM, Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Austin, Texas



[William Chapman Nyaho]

Ghanaian American William Chapman Nyaho brings a unique cultural background and extraordinarily eclectic sense of music to the concert hall, propelling an evening of his music to, as one critic put it, "reach great heights." William Chapman Nyaho studied at St. Peter's College, Oxford University (UK), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Honour School of Music. He continued his piano studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, Switzerland, the Eastman School of Music where he graduated with his Master of Music degree, and at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree. Chapman Nyaho is the recipient of prizes from international piano competitions.


Music from Chapman Nyaho’s solo CD SENKU: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent, a ground-breaking compilations of music of the African Diaspora, was recently choreographed by the Tony Award winning Garth Fagan. Senku was named one of the “Best of the Year” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which called it “altogether enthralling . . . this music deserves a regular place on concert programs.” Gramophone Magazine said, “Nyaho’s gripping performances kept my ears glued to this disc”. Dr. Maya Angelou wrote that it holds “moments of discovery so delicious that the listeners will be made to laugh out loud and to compliment not just Dr. Chapman Nyaho, but themselves at their good fortune in finding these composers and this pianist.” Chapman Nyaho’s most recent solo CD, ASA: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent, was released in Summer 2008 on the MSR Classics Label and has been critically acclaimed… “This is a fascinating and mostly impressive collection…. Nyaho is an excellent pianist and gives each piece a bright and enthusiastic reading.”  [William Chapman Nyaho (b. 1958) has a website at www.Nyaho.com and is featured at AfriClassical.com]

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