Composer, Nkeiru Okoye won The American Prize for her song cycle, We Met at the Symphony. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and Carnegie Hall uses music from her piano suite, African Sketches for its CG logo campaign. Dr. Okoye has been hailed as “gripping” and “evocative” by the New York Times. Her music has been commissioned, performed and presented by Detroit Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, the Julliard School, Louisville Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Opera North UK, Houston Grand Opera, the American Opera Project, Moscow Symphony, Tanglewood Music Festival, Virginia Symphony, Tulsa Opera, Royal Opera House, UK, and many others. Born out of her year long residency with the Grammy Award winning Louisville Orchestra, Okoye’s recital series "Cocktails, Cookies and the Composer™," brings African American music, and short English language opera to communities. She is a mentor composer for the National Association of Teachers of Singing Art Song Initiative and the American Opera Project, Composers and the Voice program. A librettist and educator, Dr. Okoye’s music is published exclusively through Theodore Presser.
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“Composer Nkeiru Okoye doesn’t fit neatly into any kind of classical category. Her compositions showcase her genius by incorporating different types of musical styles that help create a sound that’s uniquely hers.”
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Andrea Blain and Scott Blankenship, Your Classical Music, Minnesota Public Radio
Composer, Nkeiru Okoye won The American Prize for her song cycle, We Met at the Symphony. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and Carnegie Hall uses music from her piano suite, African Sketches for its CG logo campaign. Dr. Okoye has been hailed as “gripping” and “evocative” by the New York Times. Her music has been commissioned, performed and presented by Detroit Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, the Julliard School, Louisville Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Opera North UK, Houston Grand Opera, the American Opera Project, Moscow Symphony, Tanglewood Music Festival, Virginia Symphony, Tulsa Opera, Royal Opera House, UK, and many others. Born out of her year long residency with the Grammy Award winning Louisville Orchestra, Okoye’s recital series "Cocktails, Cookies and the Composer™," brings African American music, and short English language opera to communities. She is a mentor composer for the National Association of Teachers of Singing Art Song Initiative and the American Opera Project, Composers and the Voice program. A librettist and educator, Dr. Okoye’s music is published exclusively through Theodore Presser.
Composer, Nkeiru Okoye won The American Prize for her song cycle, We Met at the Symphony. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and Carnegie Hall uses music from her piano suite, African Sketches for its CG logo campaign. Dr. Okoye has been hailed as “gripping” and “evocative” by the New York Times. Her music has been commissioned, performed and presented by Detroit Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, the Julliard School, Louisville Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Opera North UK, Houston Grand Opera, the American Opera Project, Moscow Symphony, Tanglewood Music Festival, Virginia Symphony, Tulsa Opera, Royal Opera House, UK, and many others. Born out of her year long residency with the Grammy Award winning Louisville Orchestra, Okoye’s recital series "Cocktails, Cookies and the Composer™," brings African American music, and short English language opera to communities. She is a mentor composer for the National Association of Teachers of Singing Art Song Initiative and the American Opera Project, Composers and the Voice program. A librettist and educator, Dr. Okoye’s music is published exclusively through Theodore Presser.
Voices Shouting Out
For Orchestra
“Voices" is an artistic response to September 11th. It is a march to acknowledge those fighting on behalf of our safety, and yet a sparkling celebration of life for those of us who continue living."
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BLACK BOTTOM
For Orchestra and Soloists
Black Bottom crafts a bold portrayal of the Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods’ musical social life in the 1920s-1960s. Pictorially inspired and scored for full orchestra and four versatile singers, the music explores the African-American voice as an instrument and the instrumentation as voices.
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An Opera
We've Got Our Eye on You
We’ve Got Our Eye On You is a 60-minute opera loosely based on Ancient Greek myth, made famous in the “Stygian Witches” episode from 1981 fantasy classic Clash of the Titans. Mixing broad feminist comedy with elegant, witty songwriting, the opera explores and critiques notions of heroism, chastity and the phenomenon of “hooking up.” Libretto by David Cote.
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BRIAR PATCH
from "Tales from the Briar Patch"
A Sung Story
A rebooted triptych of short operas that tribute the African tradition of storytelling for all ages. Sister Sparrow, Sister Robin and Madame Partridge retell the antics of Bre’r Rabbit and his nemesis Bre’r Fox in “Briar Patch,” The music blends African American musical styles of jazz, blues, and gospel with contemporary concert music sounds. Libretto by Carman Moore.
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"King Fallen"
from Movements for String Quartet
King Fallen is tribute to the late Martin Luther King, Jr. It captures the sensation of profound loss, after hearing a loved one has died. This is a moment suspended in time, written in the tradition of a sarabande.
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"A Kiss on the Forehead"
from Home of My Ancestors
A heartwarming chamber opera of romance, time travel and returning home to face the past. When Olivia returns home on Juneteenth to pack up her ancestral home after the loss of her grandmother, she's not expecting to find ex-boyfriend Ellis waiting for her. Home of my Ancestors embraces the culturally rich stories of Olivia’s ancestors through choral vignettes.
HARRIET TUBMAN:
When I Crossed that Line to Freedom
An Opera
HARRIET TUBMAN tells of how a young girl born in slavery, becomes Harriet Tubman, the legendary Underground Railroad conductor. Based on recent Tubman biographies and copious research, it is a heartwarming tale of two sisters vowing that nothing but death will separate them, despite the slavery threatening to tear them apart. Libretto by Nkeiru Okoye.
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For Songs of Harriet Tubman
WE MET AT THE SYMPHONY
A song cycle for soprano and string quartet
We Met at the Symphony is a set of three sung monologues. Together, they tell of the ups and downs in the romantic life of an African American woman, after finding a romantic interest in an unlikely space. Poems by Nkeiru Okoye
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Invitation to a Die-In
for Baritone and Orchestra
Invitation To A Die-In is a “sung story” written in direct musical response to recent murders of unarmed Black men at the hands of police officers or vigilantes. Simultaneously both monodrama, and performance art, "Invitation" is a dramatic, stark portrait of African American men being hunted and haunted by the past. Libretto by David Cote.
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"Inside is what remains"
from "At the Grande"
Originally commissioned as part of Tulsa Opera's "Greenwood overcomes" commemoration program, "Inside is what remains" is a reminder of the enduring power of kindness! It will be the finale of the upcoming comic opera, inspired by "The Marriage of Figaro," At the Grande.
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© 2022. by Nkeiru Okoye. All rights reserved.