Chi-chi Nwanoku is a world leading double bass player and the visionary leader of the Chineke! Orchestra. Since its inception in 2015, Chineke! has changed the face and sound of classical music in this country – as the first orchestra in Europe to be formed of a majority of black and ethnically diverse musicians. And not before time. In a new interview for The Big Issue, Nwanoku explained why the mission to diversify the classical music community — and its playlist — remains vital.
“I was always the only person of colour. Not just on stage, but in the whole auditorium,” said Nwanoku, in her Letter To My Younger Self interview.
“Audience, front of house, back of house, management – even the music on our music stands – it did not reflect me… and I could count on one hand how many black musicians I played with in the UK before setting up the Chineke! Orchestra.”
Nwanoku’s ability as a double bass player was only realised when her dream of running in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal were dashed by a football injury. Overnight, she tells The Big Issue, her future was rewritten and her focus had to change.
However, track and field’s loss was music’s gain. After a career spent breaking down barriers and forging new ground, Nwanoku was inspired by a trip to see the Kinshasa Orchestra, who were visiting London from the Congo, and a chance meeting with then Culture Minister Ed Vaizey.
“I believe in divine intervention,” Nwanoku said. “Ed invited me to the pre-concert reception and that’s where I had my lightbulb moment. I realised I had to do something.