Public Musicology
As a scholar-musician, I explore the intersections and the inseparability of artistic works, performances, and scholarship to create projects that connect with the public in meaningful ways and with intellectual rigor. My public engagements are not simply an act of coupling a service project with an intellectual one; both inform one another.
Afro-Nyota
Florida State University Pan-African Pop Ensemble
I founded and directed the Pan-African Pop Ensemble, Afro-Nyota (Swahili for “African stars,” a name coined by founding ensemble members) at Florida State University from 2019 to 2023. The ensemble performed every semester on campus and off-campus venues, performing diverse genres and music across the African continent, i.e., Afrobeat(s), Afro-Pop, Highlife, Juju, Kwela, Taarab, Soukous, et cetera. This ensemble, grounded in community music-making, welcomed the participation of non-student Tallahassee community members, replicating communal experiences for participants and audiences in the FSU and Tallahassee communities.
The ensemble. In 2021, the ensemble was featured in a virtual performance as part of the Society for Ethnomusicology annual meeting (click here to see the full concert).
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The African Art Music Commissioning Project (AAMCP)
July 23, 2023. MUSON Center, Lagos.
I directed the third edition of the annual African Art Music concert and the second commissioning project by Àkójopò’s, a 501(c)(3) organization. This concert, as a heartfelt tribute to celebrate Professor Bode Omojola’s contribution to African musicology, followed the “Paradigms and Encounters in African Musicology: Tributes to Bode Omojola” symposium, held on July 23, 2023, at the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) Center in Lagos. This concert initiative was prompted by the need to bridge the gap between African art music performance and scholarship and the quest to promote this art form globally.
We commissioned new works from composers worldwide, including Nigeria, Ghana, Brazil, the United States, and Mexico.
The concert and symposium were made possible through the generous donation of Dr. D.K. Olukoya.
Please click here for the concert's YouTube playlist.
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Orin Tuntun (New Songs)
Nigerian Art Music Commissioning Project.
July 22, 2022. Alliance Français, Lagos.
In my inaugural year as the Artistic Director of Àkójopò's concert initiatives, I directed its first commissioning project, Orin Tuntun (Yoruba for "New Songs."). The concert's theme, Orin Tuntun, encapsulated the purpose and significance of the event: a showcase and premiere of new music compositions by Nigerian composers in the Nigerian art music idiom. The overarching goal was to promote this art form as an indigenous and original Nigerian musical tradition.
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A Journey to Africa Concert
September 29, 2016. San Jacinto College, Texas.
As a student at San Jacinto College, Pasadena, Texas, I organized the "A Journey to Africa Concert" with the support of the department head, Mr. Eric Late. The concert featured the SJC College Chorale, SJC Men's Chorus, student-led African combo, and friends from the African Hymn Project, Houston, Texas.