University of Pittsburgh: 'Fela Sowande Singers Perform Sacred Music by Nigerian Composers'

[Fela Sowande]

University of Pittsburgh

Department of Music

“Submitted by Department of Music on April 9, 2012

The debut of the Fela Sowande Singers, led by music department alum Oyebade Dosunmu, will take place at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on Tuesday night, April 10 at 8 p.m. The singers will perform a concert of sacred music by Nigerian composers. Along with Dosunmu, the concert will feature Richard Teaster (director of Pitt’s Glee Club and vocal instructor) and Ayo Oluranti (a doctoral candidate in composition and theory). The program will also feature Sara Botkin (Soprano), Raquel Winnica Young (Mezzo-Soprano), Ayo Oluranti (Organ), performing works by Ikoli Harcourt-Whyte, T.K.E. Phillips, Fela Sowande, Laz Ekwueme, Ayo Bankole, Seun Owoaje, Ayo Oluranti. Come out and enjoy an evening of sacred Nigerian Choral music!”

[Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com, has written a manuscript on the life and works of Fela Sowande which can be reached via the Fela Sowande page at AfriClassical.com: http://africarts.org/Artists/Sowande.htm]


Comments by email:

Dear Bill,  What a pleasant surprise. Thank you so much for the mention. This is much appreciated.
Oyebade Dosunmu, Ph.D

Bill, Encouraging news indeed. It is certainly good to see Pittsburgh Uni doing this. I expect that the legacy of Professor Akin Euba may have had some influence here. I fondly recall attending the Symposium on African Pianism quite a while back and the later FESAAM festivals which featured the art songs and organ works of Sowande. The choral works deserve to be performed widely and I am trying to get local interest in these.  Regards  Mike
[Michael S. Wright]