Nduka spotlights African pianism in US concerts for Black History Month

By Editor

IN celebration of Black History Month, Nigerian poet and pianist Echezonachukwu Nduka recently performed and spoke about his work in African pianism at various concerts and events in the United States. On February 7, Nduka was featured at the University of Pennsylvania’s “Music in the Pavilion” concert, where he delivered a talk on African pianism and performed works by composers like Christian Onyeji and Joshua Uzoigwe, among others. The department described the programme as “filled with energy, depth, and artistry”.

Nduka also headlined a concert at the Kroc Center of Philadelphia on February 10, where he delivered a lecture on African pianism titled “African Pianism in Three Perspectives” and performed works from his piano recital, “Resounding African Pianism”. This event celebrated Black excellence in classical music.

And on February 14, Nduka made his debut at the West African Art Music Festival organized by the New England Conservatory (NEC), where he also delivered a piano performance seminar on African Pianism. The Festival’s Resident Scholar Prof. Bode Omojola described the session as a “wonderful performance”. Prof. Omojola also shared his personal connection to Nduka, mentioning his training at the University of Nigeria and expressing pride in his work.

Nduka’s concerts and events showcased the richness and diversity of African pianism, highlighting the need for greater representation and recognition of African composers and musicians in the classical music world.

Nduka is a pianist, poet, and author. He is the author of two poetry collections: Chrysanthemums for Wide-eyed Ghosts and Waterman. As a recording artist and performer, he focuses primarily on art music for piano by composers of African descent. He is interested in African pianism, African art music, performance studies and the nexus between music and postcolonial Anglophone literatures, particularly poetry and nonfiction. A second year graduate student in Music Studies: Ethnomusicology at the University of Pennsylvania, Nduka’s research focuses on the sociocultural significations, spatial locations, programming and performance practices of African pianism.

According to J. H. Kwabena Nketia in his Twelve Pedagogical Pieces, African Pianism refers to a style of piano music which derives its characteristic idiom from the procedures of African percussion music as exemplified in bell patterns, drumming, xylophone and mbira music. It may use simple or extended rhythmic motifs or the lyricism of traditional songs and even those of African popular music as the basis of its rhythmic phrases. It is open ended as far as the use of tonal materials is concerned expect that it may draw on the modal and cadential characteristics of traditional music.

Echezonachukwu Nduka