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Donald Macleod traces Nigerian art music across generations, from Akpabot to Nkeiru Okoye, with Alexander Douglas.

Donald Macleod brings the week into focus through the music of Samuel Akpabot and Nkeiru Okoye, linking the early pioneers to the present day. With Alexander Douglas, he explores how a generation of Nigerian composers trained abroad returned to reshape musical life at home, building institutions, ensembles and a lasting repertoire. Akpabot’s orchestral writing offers one perspective on this developing tradition, while Okoye’s music reflects a more recent, transatlantic voice. Questions of lineage, identity and continuity run through their work, alongside the practical challenges of preserving archives and performance traditions.

Nigerian Dance No. 1
Joshua Uzoigwe
William Chapman Nyaho, piano

Scenes from Nigeria: I Pastorale (arrangement for clarinet and piano)
Samuel Akpabot
Marcus Eley, clarinet
Lucerne DeSa, piano

Three Nigerian Dances
Samuel Akpabot
South African Broadcasting Corporation National Symphony Orchestra
Richard Cock, conductor

African Sketches: I–IV
Nkeiru Okoye
Rochelle Sennet, piano

Inside Is What Remains
Nkeiru Okoye
Sequina DuBose, soprano
Gregory Thompson, piano

Breaking Bread
Nkeiru Okoye
Matt Haimovitz, cello

When Young Spring Comes
Nkeiru Okoye
Lara Downes, piano

Voices Shouting Out
Nkeiru Okoye
Central Washington University Symphony Orchestra
Wesley Hunter, conductor

Songs of Harriet Tubman: I Am Harriet Tubman, Free Woman
Nkeiru Okoye
Louise Toppin, soprano (Harriet Tubman)
Dvořák Symphony Orchestra
Julius P. Williams, conductor

Produced by Ellie Ajao for 91¸£ÀûÉç Audio Wales & West.

Release date:

59 minutes

On radio

Fri 10 Jul 2026 16:00

Broadcast

  • Fri 10 Jul 2026 16:00

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