Ottawa Chamberfest | Introducing Ensemble Obiora

Chamberfest is proud to present Ensemble Obiora, Canada’s first ensemble with a mission to increase the representation of culturally diverse musicians in the classical music scene, and to perform works by composers of colour whose contributions have gone unnoticed. Based in Montreal with members from across the country (including Ottawa area violinist Renee London and pianist John Kofi Dapaah), the group was founded in 2021 on the principles of “Diversity, Discovery, and Dissemination” by double bassist Brandyn Lewis and his partner Allison Migeon. The project was named in honour of a concept from Lewis and Migeon’s shared heritage: in Igbo, a language spoken in Nigeria, Obiora means “heart of the people.” As the ensemble’s roster has grown to include more than 50 musicians, the two say it feels like one big family, filled with people they stay close to outside of performances.

For their Chamberfest debut, Ensemble Obiora’s programme features Startin’ Sumthin’, a funky reimagining of ragtime music scored for woodwind quintet by African-American composer Jeff Scott. Rounding out the program are compositions by Anglo-African composer and conductor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, who was born on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe to an enslaved woman of Senegalese origin and a French plantation owner – the earliest European musician/composer of African descent to receive widespread critical acclaim. The ensemble invites you to join them in Woodside Hall after the concert for a discussion on the repertoire, the ensemble, and its mission.

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