I'm pleased to share that I am travelling back to Nairobi as a featured composer on the Kenya International Cello Festival (KICF) program, which is very exciting: this is my first ever premiere of a concert work in Kenya!
Hear my piece, "Ngurumo, or Feeding Goats Mangoes", performed by the members of KICF and Senior Choir at Kenya National Theatre on March 28th at 7:30pm. This will be performed by amongst a wide array of works by composers from all over the world.
About the Kenya International Cello Festival:
The Kenya International Cello Festival, in its second season, will bring together cellists from across the world to collaborate and perform throughout Kenya in March of 2023.
Born out of a deep dedication to the students of Korogocho and the Art of Music Foundation, the repertoire chosen and classes offered will reflect a wide tapestry of compositional voices and the interwoven cultural fabric of its setting.
After a remarkable first season, this new season will continue to expand the experience of sound, language, and culture for audiences throughout Kenya. And most importantly, KICF will continue to embolden and shape the inner worlds of its students. The programming will center around the characters & landscape of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's novel, ‘Wizard of the Crow’. (Website)
About my piece, "Ngurumo, or Feeding Goats Mangoes":
This piece is from my debut EP, "peace places: kenyan memories", and has since evolved into having another life in the classical concert music world, where I performed it on voice and mbira, accompanied by Cello Octet Amsterdam, for the first time at the Gaudeamus Festival in the Netherlands.
The song reflects on my father’s hometown of Kĩrĩnyaga, and the peace I have always felt when we go there. River Kĩringa flows in from Mt. Kenya and gives life to the land below, and my visits there have always been characterised by a visit to "ngurumo", the valley leading down into the river. The lyrics of the song, in Kiswahili, reminisce on these visits from the perspective of myself when I am abroad: "nirudishe siku za utulivu."
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Tickets (500/-) sold via MPESA:
Paybill: 339379
Account Name: Cello Festival
(Entry permitted upon proof of payment)
FREE for Students with ID & Children below 18 years of age
For more ticket information, email kenyacellofestival@gmail.com