William H. Chapman Nyaho
was born in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 28, 1958. He was to become a
virtuoso pianist, gifted professor of music and dedicated collector and
editor of piano music of the African Diaspora. When he was only ten
months old his parents returned to their native Ghana with him. He grew
up there and graduated from Ghana's Achimota School after studying
piano with John Barham. Nyaho received his B.A. in Music from Oxford
University in the U.K. After studies in piano at the Conservatoire de
Musique in Geneva, Switzerland, and with Henri Gautier, he earned a
Master of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New
York. Nyaho studied with David Renner at the University of Texas at
Austin, where he received his Doctoral degree in Music.
Following
a four-year residency as a North Carolina Visiting Artist, Nyaho taught
at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from 1991-2002. He has
performed as a soloist in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and North
America. He also plays chamber music as part of the Nyaho/Garcia Duo.
His Web site for both solo and duo activities is: www.Nyaho.com
The CD Senku: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent, Musicians Showcase Recordings 1091 (2003) is comprised of solo piano works by eight composers:
Joshua Uzoigwe (b. 1946), Nigeria
Oswald Russell (b. 1933), Jamaica
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004), United States
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), United Kingdom
Margaret Allison Bonds (1913-1972), United States
Gamal Abdel-Rahim (1924-1988), Egypt
R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943), Canada
Gyimah Labi (b. 1950), Ghana
The
liner notes are by the poet Maya Angelou, a mentor to the pianist.
Brief audio samples of all eight tracks can be heard at Nyaho's website.
Donald Rosenberg wrote a review of Senku for the March 2004 issue of Gramophone, One theme but many styles, all illuminated by some fine playing. He writes that "senku" is a Ghanian word referring to a keyboard instrument. The review ends with these remarks:
“The
humanity of the music and Nyaho's gripping performances kept my ears
glued to this disc. Let's hope the pianist continues to explore - and
record - more such commanding repertoire.”
The
Nyaho/Garcia Duo is committed to performing music of composers of
African or Hispanic heritage, as well works of contemporary, American
and women composers. The Duo has a recording to its credit as well: Aaron Copland: Music for Two Pianos, Centaur 2405 (1998). Nyaho's website explains:
“Classical Magazine
wrote then that the duo, 'form a perfect match in their style of
playing, their tone, and in their genuine feeling for and understanding
of the Copland pieces... This CD will be the standard against which any
future performances of these dances will be measured.'"
Nyaho's website describes the pianist's active role as pianist in residence:
“Nyaho
has served as a guest lecturer on piano technique and on specific
composers, offered numerous master classes and specialized activities
for students, and traveled into countless schools to wring unexpectedly
beautiful music from dubious cafeteria pianos.”
An example of the symposiums in which Nyaho participates is Africa Meets Asia,
which was held at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, China in
October 2005. He performed both solo and duo piano works during the
program. The Jamaican choreographer Garth Fagan, Founder and Artistic
Director of Garth Fagan Dance, an innovative dance company,
choreographed music from Nyaho's CD Senku for
a dance and live piano performance October 17, 2006 at New York's Joyce
Theater. It was repeated in the dance company's home town of
Rochester, New York.
The
lack of sheet music for students and performers is a major reason music
by Black composers has so few concert performances and recordings. A
great deal of music exists, and Nyaho has played a pioneering role in
making it available. He has compiled and edited an unprecedented
five-volume anthology Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora.
The music is organized by skill level, from beginning to advanced.
Oxford University Press published Volumes 1 and 2 in March 2007. The complete set is now in print and available.
Nyaho described his second CD ASA: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent MSR Classics 1242 (2008):
"It consists of music by Fred Onovwerosuoke,
Florence Price, Halim El Dabh, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Isaac Roux,
Amadeo Roldan y Gardes, Alain-Pierre Pradel, and Ludovic Lamothe.
Damien Sneed 
