Chineke! LIVE

Come and hear from an orchestra reshaping who classical music is for. Europe’s first majority Black, Asian and ethnically diverse ensemble, Chineke! performs works by overlooked composers in every concert, true to its motto: “championing change and celebrating diversity in classical music.”

In this event specially created for Wimbledon Bookfest, curated by Berginald Rash, Chineke! presents a programme tracing the reach and resilience of the Black diaspora. It opens in the Americas with William Grant Still’s Danzas de Panamá, weaving Afro-Caribbean dance forms into lush strings, and Carlos Simon’s Warmth from Other Suns, charting the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South. Crossing the Atlantic, Matthew Rooke’s An a Craw can Sing an Aw answers Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending on bass clarinet, birdsong now carrying the weight of Black diasporic experience. Coleridge-Taylor’s clarinet quintet closes the night, inspired by Brahms yet alive with the verve of Black and Indigenous music, opening into an earthy prayer in its second movement.

An hour-long concert from the Chineke! Chamber Ensemble, comprised of the principal players of the Chineke! Orchestra; a friendly introduction to classical music. Whether you’re hearing it for the first time or have loved it for years, all are welcome

This event will feature an introduction from Wimbledon BookFest music producer Joseph Waymouth.