Talking about classical music, you may think of it as an icon of Western European culture dominated by white male composers. For a long time, Chi-chi Nwanoka found herself as the only black player in the orchestra. But in her journey of promoting diversity and inclusion, she also found out that there are great classical composers of color or that Dvorak had listened to native Americans and to the music of slaves in the Southern states. Can we even say that classical music sounds more authentic with black musicians?   

In 2015, double-bass player Chi-chi Nwanoku founded Chineke! Orchestra supporting young mucians. The orchestra made its debut in the Royal Albert Hall during the BBC Proms in 2017 and has been successful eversince in the large venues thoughout England and beyond, including the Rotterdam Doelen and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Before their performance in Eindhoven in November 2022, Jean-Paul Linnartz interviewed her for Radio 4 Brainport. 

Photo credit Jay Lawrence