November Monthly Meeting: African Classical Music

Can Classical Music Speak to a 'Common Humanity'? A look at African Classical Music

Our next monthly meeting is on Wednesday 20th November from 6.30 to 8.30pm, in the Upper Vestry Hall of St George's Bloomsbury. This month's speaker is Bilkis Malik, director of Transcultural Visions.

Classical Music is regarded by many as an exclusive genre associated with Western practitioners, cultures and audiences. 

This talk looks at the rich, and somewhat hidden, 200+ year heritage of African Classical Music. Focussed on selective composers, the talk will highlight inspiring interethnic connections with many African composers (Fela Sowande, Ayo Bankole, Akin Auba, TKE Phillips) graduates of London Conservatoires enjoying international success and collaborating with the likes of Sir Malcolm Sergeant, Dame Vera Lynn, Sir Charles Groves, the BBC, and the New York Philharmonic. 

Akin Auba, Fela Sowande, Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko and Ayo Bankole
 

Notably the music of African composers has evolved to expose classical music as responsive to the heritage and values of distinct cultures and this will be clearly demonstrated using extracts from selective composers’ music and original BBC lectures.

The talk will also present the work of the Singing Cultures Choir formed in London in 2016 to breathe new life into the hidden heritage of African Classical Music and its ability to provide fresh insights into building positive interethnic relations. Here’s a quick taster of their work:

All welcome, with £5 charge for non-members. Bring some refreshments to share if you can, and do email us at londonwestendwi@gmail.com if it's your first visit so we know to look out for you!

October Review of the Month

The nights are starting to draw in, and in October our craft club turned their sights to Christmas, with a spot of festive cross stitching. We didn't quite get finished, but our plans are to carry on with these at home and use them in cards or gift tags. In November we're going to carry on the festive spirit with some paper crafting of Christmas decorations.

Our main meeting in October was a peek behind the scenes at a national museum, as Pam gave us an insight into what goes into putting on a blockbuster exhibition such as Christian Dior. In November we'll be having a talk on singing cultures and 200 years of African classical music.

Also in October, some of our members attended the community preview of  Inspired by the East at the British Museum. All our members are invited to these previews, and ticket allocations are announced in the newsletter. Next up will be Troy on 17 November - email us if you'd like a ticket.