#Hilarius Wuaku

[choralmusicghana]

Women In Instrumental Music Holds Maiden Event

Thursday the 20th of January, 2022 saw a gathering of musicians and music enthusiasts at El Lounge in East Legon for the maiden event of Women in Instrumental Music (WIM). The event was led by Nana Yaa Frimpong, a tuba player and graduate of the University of Ghana.

Women in Instrumental Music aims at attracting more females to engage in instrumental music performance, and bringing in those who are already in the spotlight to encourage and inspire others to participate.

The event that started between 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm was packed with performances. It was divided into 4 parts: classical, African art music, contemporary, and group performance. Suomo Korkor-Adjane Okantey performed Beethoven's Für Elise and pianist Emmanuella Djagbletey played Chopin's Waltz in A minor.

Two works from Hilarius Wuaku also featured at the event. Gamɔ de fie was performed by trumpeter Jemimah Arhinful, accompanied by CitiTV's Keyboard Idol winner Ewuradjoa Boateng. Priscilla Debrah played Toboli, composition based on a common lullaby from the Volta Region, on the trombone.

Some of the contemporary pieces performed that evening included Elvis Presley's Only Fools Fall in Love, Memories by Maroon 5 and Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.

Other performers on the bill were Abena Sarpomaa (piano), Genevieve Gyesiwaa Nkrumah (clarinet), Mercy Akyianu (saxophone), Charlotte Acquah (cello), Naa Akle Okantey (piano), and Christabel Asare. Vocalist Eugenia Aseye Gbewonyo sang Ed Sheeran's Perfect and Cohen's Hallelujah with the band.

We caught up with Nana Yaa after the event to talk about her work and the Women in Instrumental Music initiative. She revealed her early interest in performance when she started playing the euphonium at the age of 10. The tuba became her main instrument when she joined the University of Ghana's brass ensemble. She also plays the trumpet and saxophone.

Women in Instrumental Music was motivated by the lack of opportunities Nana Yaa saw among her fellow players when restrictions were placed on social gatherings at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I also realized most of the female alumni of the university's Music Department had stopped playing their instruments. A few of them revealed that they weren't a part of any group that gave them a platform to showcase their talent." she said.

"I created WIM to give ladies with musical skills the platform to exhibit their talents and express themselves through their instruments”

The audience response proved the success of the event. Presley Joe Black, a concert pianist who was present for the show commended the organizers. He added "I also hope they reach out to move females to push it because the standard of female instrumental performance is quite low and we need that to be raised. Though I don’t like gender groupings, this has proven that at times it is a necessity. I enjoyed the programme more than I expected and I have been inspired to give my best in the music I produce."

[choralmusicghana]

Afro Classical Nights Celebrates First Anniversary

The classical music community in Accra is growing. Last night, with a record turnout, Afro Classical Nights celebrated its first anniversary in grand style with an extended show at the African Regent Hotel, Airport.

The commemorative edition of the show featured performers from the show’s past, including its first soloist, Franklyn Gyimah of Seasonal House Opera and violinist Dr. Heather Beem, CEO of the Practical Education Network and a member of Allegro Classics Foundation.

Among some of the personalities present at the occasion were the CEO of the African Regent Hotel, Mr. John Kufuor and the wife of the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mrs. Teresa Barnes, and the founder and Artistic Director of Gramophone Ghana, Theophil Asamoah-Gyadu.

Afro Classical Nights has grown from its humble beginnings with just a handful of performers and guests to become a staple on Accra’s musical entertainment calendar, and a cornerstone of live classical music performance. After a moderately successful pilot held at the current venue on the 10th of August 2018, interest in the show rapidly grew, with classically-oriented musicians booking slots in advance. 

The show, a project of Choral Music Ghana, is run by Presley Joe Black, a jazz and classical pianist and Jesse Johnson, founder of the former organisation.

It is supported by the African Regent Hotel and Julius Richardson of the Genius Hive, a music school located at Cantonments in Accra. 

The anniversary show featured, for the first time, the Lark String Quartet, made up of some of the most outstanding string players active in Accra, who performed a movement from Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. For the first time on the show, music by James Varrick Armaah - an arrangement of Aseda Nka Nyame for five woodwinds - was performed. 

Kenn Kafui’s works also played a significant role, with the GH Woodwind Quintet performing Zodede, while pianist Constant Ahadzivia (DipABRSM) played his Akpi sonata.

There was a repeat performance of Dr. Hilarius Wuaku’s La Wada, while rising star Kelvin Uhondo thrilled the audience with his performance of Largo al Factotum, from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.  

Another special moment of the show was the premier of an original composition for piano and french horn by Choral Music Ghana’s Kwaku Boakye-Frempong. Titled Oman Ghana, the piece was played by Lance Corporal Solomon “King” Adonoo of the Ghana Police Band and accompanied by the composer himself.

Among the highlights for the anniversary show was the finale which saw members of the “ACN All Stars Orchestra” perform the opening movement of Mozart’s Symphony no. 40. The 20-man orchestra was made up of musicians who have previously appeared on the show as performers and guests, as well as members of the University of Ghana’s Strings Ensemble, who championed the cause.

Instrumental in organising the orchestra was Dr. Cristina Ruotolo, a Fulbright Scholar with the University of Ghana’s English Department who “stumbled” on Legon’s musical community and has since impacted it significantly.

The next Afro Classical Nights show is scheduled for 27th September, 2019.