The Chineke! Junior Orchestra presents a rich programme of classical music including some elegant Minuets by Ignatius Sancho – an 18thcentury composer of African descent who lived and worked as a servant in Greenwich. He was later freed and was the first black man to vote in England. The Junior Orchestra is part of the Chineke! Foundation and the sister project to The Chineke! Orchestra, Europe’s first majority Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) orchestra founded by world-renowned double-bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE in 2015.
The Chineke! Foundation was established in 2015 to provide career opportunities to young Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) classical musicians in the UK and Europe. Chineke!’s motto is: ‘Championing change and celebrating diversity in classical music’. Chineke! is the brainchild of world-renowned double-bassist, Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, who says: ‘My aim is to create a space where BME musicians can walk on stage and know that they belong.’
The Foundation’s flagship ensemble The Chineke! Orchestra, comprises exceptional musicians from across the continent to perform a mixture of standard orchestral repertoire alongside the works of BME composers both past and present.
The Chineke! Orchestra’s sister ensemble, the Chineke! Junior Orchestra, is a youth orchestra of BME players aged 11-22, many of whom already benefit from a number of existing youth schemes, junior music colleges and specialist music schools. The Chineke! Orchestra plays an important role with senior players acting as mentors and role models to the young musicians, giving them experience and building confidence during their formative years, with the hope of increasing the numbers of BME candidates currently studying music at third level.
The Chineke! Junior Orchestra represents the rich tapestry of London and the UK featuring exceptional young musicians, who have very bright futures. For these special concerts at the Eltham Culture Fest, the Chineke! Juniors will perform Bach, Holst and Saint-Georges alongside two Minuets by Ignatius Sancho, an 18th Century British composer, writer, actor and resident of Greenwich who was the first man of African heritage to vote in a British election, and whose portrait was painted by Gainsborough.