Chineke! Orchestra

Europe's first orchestra centred around Black and ethnically diverse players, Chineke! is the leading ensemble of the Chineke! Foundation, a UK-based organisation that champions inclusion in classical music. The foundation supports young musicians through its junior ensemble and commissions new works from composers such as Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Hannah Kendall and Errollyn Wallen. Founded by London-born double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku, Chineke! takes its name from the Nigerian word Chi, meaning “spirit of good creation”. The orchestra made its debut in London in 2015 and has since toured Europe and Australia; players regularly comprise chamber groups and perform internationally as the Chineke! Ensemble. Programmes always feature music by a diverse range of composers, many of whom Nwanoku has profiled on her radio series, Chi-chi’s Classical Champions. In 2021, the orchestra made history when its BBC Prom became the first concert in the series to feature only Black composers, including Florence Price's “Piano Concerto in One Movement” with Jeneba Kanneh-Mason as the soloist. Kanneh-Mason's brother Sheku, a Chineke! alum, is the first Black musician to win BBC Young Musician of the Year (2016)—and also played at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.