Omo Bello is a French-Nigerian operatic soprano , and in this episode we are focussing on her newly-released album “African Art Song” on Somm recordings with pianist Rebeca Omordia. Many of you heard my episode this past summer with pianist and curator of the African Concert Series, Rebeca Omordia, and I’ll be linking that episode in the show notes  for you.  

Omo talked to me about overcoming shyness and stage fright,  her childhood and university years in Lagos, Nigeria, and some of her mentors including Grace Bumbry and Thomas Quasthoff.  I was fascinated to gain insights from her life as an opera singer, and to learn about many of the composers from Africa and the African diaspora featured on this wonderful album, including Ayo Bankole, Fred Onovwerosuoke,  Ishaya Yaron, Chirstian Onyeji and Shirley Thompson . 

Concert pianist Rebeca Omordia has just released her second African Pianism album, Volume 2, which was just named Editor’s Choice in the Gramophone Magazine, and is a fascinating and beautiful kaleidoscope of piano works from West Africa, North Africa, South Africa and East Africa. Rebeca spoke to me about her extensive research about these composers, varied styles, and the different traditional music traditions which are often at the heart of this music. We talked about her experiences growing up in Romania with a Romanian mother and a Nigerian father. Now based in London, Rebeca spoke to me about The African Concert Series at Wigmore Hall, and many of her collaborations, including with Errollyn Wallen whose Piano Concerto, written for Rebeca Omordia, is featured in this podcast along with excerpts from several of the works on the African Pianism album, volume 2. The podcast, video and transcript are all linked here.