Chineke!

0:00:02 > 0:00:04- Tonight at the Proms... - ALL:- Chineke!

0:00:26 > 0:00:29Chineke! is a professional orchestra and a junior orchestra

0:00:29 > 0:00:32that is majority black and minority ethnic.

0:00:39 > 0:00:44In September 2014, I went to the Africa Utopia festival

0:00:44 > 0:00:47at the Southbank Centre to see the Kinshasa Orchestra

0:00:47 > 0:00:48from the Congo.

0:00:48 > 0:00:51They played music by Berlioz, music by Beethoven.

0:00:58 > 0:01:04And the penny dropped, because I saw the looks of incredulity on many of

0:01:04 > 0:01:06the audience's faces and I just thought,

0:01:06 > 0:01:07hang on, this is the 21st century.

0:01:07 > 0:01:10Why shouldn't people that look like that

0:01:10 > 0:01:13be able to play classical music? I mean, it's a no-brainer.

0:01:16 > 0:01:19So not only did we start a professional orchestra,

0:01:19 > 0:01:21but we've created a junior orchestra as well.

0:01:21 > 0:01:23Most of us, in fact,

0:01:23 > 0:01:28had never played in an orchestra with other people of colour.

0:01:28 > 0:01:32The most amazing thing that happened after our first concert in 2015

0:01:32 > 0:01:36was, at the end, everybody went home feeling quite jubilant,

0:01:36 > 0:01:39and I think we all felt changed in some way.

0:01:43 > 0:01:46There is a special kind of frisson that happens.

0:01:46 > 0:01:49there's something that happens in this orchestra

0:01:49 > 0:01:52were no two people play on a regular basis together,

0:01:52 > 0:01:56but when we come together we all feel this sense of responsibility

0:01:56 > 0:02:01for the rest of mankind, really, who are interested in classical music.

0:02:07 > 0:02:10Chineke! represents well over 40 nationalities now,

0:02:10 > 0:02:14which I'm really proud of and just goes to prove how inclusive

0:02:14 > 0:02:17it can be, how inclusive it should be.

0:02:23 > 0:02:27I want the work of Chineke! to go so far

0:02:27 > 0:02:30that in five, 10 years' time, we won't be having to have

0:02:30 > 0:02:33this conversation about trying to diversify the industry.

0:02:33 > 0:02:36Music itself does not discriminate,

0:02:36 > 0:02:40so we've just got to get used to the fact that it's there for everyone.

0:02:45 > 0:02:49It means so much to have a Prom. This is our debut,

0:02:49 > 0:02:52and I've been told it's making history as the youngest orchestra

0:02:52 > 0:02:55in existence to be given a BBC Prom.

0:02:55 > 0:02:56That, for me, says a lot.

0:03:00 > 0:03:03Not only is it a debut for the Chineke! orchestra,

0:03:03 > 0:03:06it's a debut Prom for our soloists

0:03:06 > 0:03:08Jeanine De Bique and Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

0:03:08 > 0:03:12Our conductor, Kevin John Edusei, it's his debut as well,

0:03:12 > 0:03:17and so there's this whole feeling of newness and freshness that I really

0:03:17 > 0:03:24hope that we're able to share with our possibly quite new audience.

0:03:26 > 0:03:30We open the concert with a brand new BBC commission

0:03:30 > 0:03:34that we've given to the young British composer Hannah Kendall.

0:03:34 > 0:03:36It's a piece that's been inspired

0:03:36 > 0:03:39by Lemn Sissay's poem of the same name

0:03:39 > 0:03:42and it's bold and punchy and energetic,

0:03:42 > 0:03:46apart from a contrasting slower and more lyrical section

0:03:46 > 0:03:49in the middle, ending on a sparkling flourish.

0:03:49 > 0:03:51I hope you enjoy it.

0:03:52 > 0:03:56APPLAUSE

0:03:58 > 0:04:03CHEERING

0:14:47 > 0:14:51CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:15:33 > 0:15:37CHEERING

0:15:52 > 0:15:55Hello, my name is Sheku Kanneh-Mason and I'm a cellist.

0:15:55 > 0:15:59Tonight I'm going to be playing Dvorak's Rondo in G minor,

0:15:59 > 0:16:01and then I'm going to play one of my favourite pieces,

0:16:01 > 0:16:04the fun and virtuosic Hungarian Rhapsody by David Popper.

0:16:04 > 0:16:07So I look forward to it.

0:16:07 > 0:16:10CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:24:29 > 0:24:31CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:34:51 > 0:34:55CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:35:08 > 0:35:11CHEERING

0:35:57 > 0:35:59CHEERING

0:36:19 > 0:36:22- HE SINGS - ..off!

0:36:22 > 0:36:25We'll be playing a very, very moving piece

0:36:25 > 0:36:29by the African-American composer called George Walker.

0:36:29 > 0:36:33He turned 95 last June.

0:36:33 > 0:36:36Of course, we really wanted to have George here because everybody else

0:36:36 > 0:36:40who's involved that's alive is here with us.

0:36:40 > 0:36:43Unfortunately George wasn't quite well enough to be here,

0:36:43 > 0:36:46and so we beamed him in.

0:36:46 > 0:36:51- Everybody, this is George Walker. ALL:- Hi!

0:36:51 > 0:36:54- 'Hello!'- Welcome.

0:36:54 > 0:36:59- You know Kevin already. - Hello, George.- 'Hello, Kevin.'

0:36:59 > 0:37:01Good to see you.

0:37:01 > 0:37:04'It's great to be able to be a part of this.'

0:37:04 > 0:37:08Today we'll be playing this piece called Lyric for Strings

0:37:08 > 0:37:09and it's absolutely beautiful.

0:37:09 > 0:37:14It's taken from the slow movement of his string quartet

0:37:14 > 0:37:17that he wrote in response to the passing of his grandmother,

0:37:17 > 0:37:21and then shortly after she passed away,

0:37:21 > 0:37:24Martin Luther King was murdered, and so it's like a double dedication

0:37:24 > 0:37:27to his grandmother and Martin Luther King.

0:37:30 > 0:37:34I'm delighted that there's the opportunity

0:37:34 > 0:37:40for this work to be heard in the United Kingdom,

0:37:40 > 0:37:45and I hope that there will be many persons

0:37:45 > 0:37:48who have the opportunity of hearing it.

0:37:48 > 0:37:50Thank you so much.

0:37:50 > 0:37:54APPLAUSE

0:44:41 > 0:44:44APPLAUSE

0:44:56 > 0:44:59CHEERING

0:45:14 > 0:45:18My name is Jeanine De Bique and I'm a soprano from Trinidad and Tobago.

0:45:18 > 0:45:22This evening I will be performing Da Tempeste from Giulio Cesare

0:45:22 > 0:45:28by Handel, Rejoice Greatly from the Messiah, also by Handel,

0:45:28 > 0:45:33and I am excited to perform the piece Au Penchant Qui Nous Entraine

0:45:33 > 0:45:35by a black composer, Chevalier de Saint-Georges,

0:45:35 > 0:45:37that is not very often done.

0:45:37 > 0:45:39So I hope you enjoy.

0:45:39 > 0:45:42APPLAUSE

0:46:20 > 0:46:25SHE SINGS IN ITALIAN

0:52:15 > 0:52:19CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:53:41 > 0:53:46SHE SINGS IN FRENCH

0:57:37 > 0:57:41CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:58:25 > 0:58:29# Rejoice, rejoice Rejoice greatly

0:58:30 > 0:58:34# Rejoice, o daughter of Zion

0:58:37 > 0:58:41# O daughter of Zion, rejoice

0:58:41 > 0:58:45# Rejoice

0:58:45 > 0:58:51# Rejoice

0:58:55 > 0:58:59# O daughter of Zion Rejoice greatly

0:58:59 > 0:59:03# Shout, o daughter of Jerusalem

0:59:04 > 0:59:08# Behold, thy King cometh unto thee

0:59:09 > 0:59:13# Behold, thy King cometh unto thee

0:59:13 > 0:59:16# Cometh unto thee

0:59:30 > 0:59:36# He is the righteous saviour

0:59:42 > 0:59:48# And he shall speak peace unto the heathen

0:59:48 > 0:59:52# He shall speak peace

0:59:52 > 0:59:55# He shall speak peace

0:59:56 > 1:00:04# Peace, he shall speak peace unto the heathen

1:00:08 > 1:00:16# He is the righteous savour

1:00:16 > 1:00:19# And he shall speak

1:00:19 > 1:00:24# He shall speak peace

1:00:24 > 1:00:33# Peace

1:00:36 > 1:00:40# He shall speak peace

1:00:40 > 1:00:52# Unto the heathen

1:00:57 > 1:01:02# Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice greatly

1:01:04 > 1:01:13# Rejoice greatly

1:01:13 > 1:01:17# O daughter of Zion

1:01:17 > 1:01:22# Shout, o daughter of Jerusalem

1:01:22 > 1:01:25# Behold, thy King cometh unto thee

1:01:25 > 1:01:28# Rejoice

1:01:28 > 1:01:32# Rejoice

1:01:32 > 1:01:36# Shout, shout, shout, shout

1:01:36 > 1:01:40# Rejoice

1:01:44 > 1:01:48# Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion

1:01:48 > 1:01:52# Shout, o daughter of Jerusalem

1:01:52 > 1:01:55# Behold, thy King cometh unto thee

1:01:55 > 1:02:02# Behold, thy King

1:02:02 > 1:02:11# Cometh unto thee. #

1:02:27 > 1:02:33CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

1:02:43 > 1:02:47CHEERING

1:03:48 > 1:03:49My name is Kevin John Edusei

1:03:49 > 1:03:52and I'm the conductor of the Chineke! orchestra.

1:03:52 > 1:03:54The last piece on our programme

1:03:54 > 1:03:56is the Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky-Korsakov.

1:03:56 > 1:04:00Rimsky-Korsakov travelled extensively

1:04:00 > 1:04:02and captured the melodies of Spain

1:04:02 > 1:04:07and the atmosphere of that country within his music.

1:04:07 > 1:04:10The audience went completely wild when piece was performed

1:04:10 > 1:04:13for the first time in 1887,

1:04:13 > 1:04:15and that's what we hope's going to happen tonight as well.

1:04:15 > 1:04:18So enjoy the ride.

1:04:19 > 1:04:23APPLAUSE

1:04:23 > 1:04:25CHEERING

1:20:37 > 1:20:41CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

1:21:02 > 1:21:06CHEERING

1:21:25 > 1:21:29CHEERING

1:21:31 > 1:21:34CHEERING

1:22:22 > 1:22:25CHEERING AND WHISTLING

1:22:39 > 1:22:42CHEERING