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In 2020, Okoye was the inaugural recipient of the
Florence Price Award for Composition. Okoye was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2021 for her works in musical composition. Okoya was named composer of the month in February 2024.
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176:. Okoye said about choosing Tubman as a subject: "I wanted to write an opera about a woman who did great things and survived." The opera includes her 2006 stand-alone song cycle, "Songs of Harriet Tubman".
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commissioned Okoye to write an orchestral work to commemorate the city's history. The piece, reflecting the diversity of the history of the city, is 12 minutes long and called
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183:(2017) was commissioned and premiered by conductor Ng Tian Hui and the Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra. A second performance was with the
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86:. Okoye learned to play piano at age 8 and began writing music at age 13. Okoye went to the Preparatory Division of the
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to help her complete the work. Her opera not only highlights the life of Tubman, but also of others such as
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671:"250 years in 12 minutes? Composer tries to capture Charlotte history in piece for Symphony"
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106:. For a premiere at Rutgers in 1999, she conducted her composition, "The Creation", with
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90:. When her parents separated, Okoye and her older sister lived with their mother on
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697:"Review: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra plays two composers, but only one genius"
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From
Spirituals to Symphonies: African-American Women Composers and Their Music
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and other young black men who have lost their lives to violence. The text for
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Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to
Freedom, Invitation to a Die-In
270:"'A Ride on the Underground Railroad,' at Hofstra, Recalls Harriet Tubman"
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642:"University City Symphony Orchestra takes on 'Invitation to a Die-In'"
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for her undergraduate work, graduating in 1993. She then went on to
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and members of the orchestra falling over as if they had been hit.
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and the music of the time period. Okoye received a grant from the
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ethnic group. During her childhood, she spent time in both the
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She is currently on the Board of
Advisors for Composers Now!.
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and the performance of the work includes percussion imitating
156:. The opera looks at the life of enslaved Africans living in
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to write a narrated work for orchestra based on the life of
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in 2002. It was commissioned by
Maestro Wes Kenney and the
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562:"SUNY New Paltz professor's opera hails historical figure"
425:. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. pp. 42–43.
62:
Nkeiru Okoye was born on July 18, 1972, and grew up in
475:"Actor Glover Takes the Lead in RU Student's Premiere"
234:. Find more on her work through the Theodore Presser.
230:, with the percussion section of the work referencing
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Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to
Freedom
587:
761:"Announcing the Winners of the 2020 Price Awards"
210:For the 250th anniversary of the founding of
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860:African-American women classical composers
791:John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
640:Bryan Miller, Sarah (February 23, 2018).
589:"Riding the Underground Railroad by Song"
669:Toppman, Lawrence (September 14, 2018).
536:. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
502:"Tubman's Story of Bravery Set to Music"
473:Kaimann, Frederick (February 22, 1999).
446:Kaimann, Frederick (February 19, 1999).
313:. La Jolla, Calif.: WordWorld. pp.
915:20th-century African-American musicians
910:21st-century African-American musicians
533:Black Opera: History, Power, Engagement
367:"A Pioneer's Struggle Inspires a Sound"
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54:and "The Journey of Phillis Wheatley".
46:. She has composed many works based on
560:Horrigan, Jeremiah (January 7, 2013).
226:also holds a reference to a victim of
765:International Florence Price Festival
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310:The World of Women in Classical Music
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850:African-American classical composers
722:"Search results for: 'nkeiru okoye'"
695:Toppman, Lawrence (April 13, 2019).
615:"University City Symphony Orchestra"
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38:(born July 18, 1972) is an American
925:21st-century African-American women
920:20th-century African-American women
500:Fisher, Harold (February 3, 2008).
392:McNatt, Glenn (September 3, 2006).
268:Lipson, Karin (January 27, 2012).
185:University City Symphony Orchestra
14:
586:Parks, Steve (February 3, 2012).
394:"Is This How It Was With Mozart?"
129:In 2005, Okoye collaborated with
110:narrating key parts of the work.
905:African-American women musicians
865:African-American opera composers
479:The Central New Jersey Home News
452:The Central New Jersey Home News
23:
880:American people of Igbo descent
365:Dyer, Richard (July 17, 2005).
191:was a commission in memory of
166:National Endowment for the Arts
875:American women opera composers
139:The Journey of Phillis Wheatle
16:American composer and musician
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96:Oberlin Conservatory of Music
890:Musicians from New York City
855:American classical composers
216:Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
118:Okoye penned her best known
629:– via Newspapers.com.
516:– via Newspapers.com.
489:– via Newspapers.com.
462:– via Newspapers.com.
419:Walker-Hill, Helen (2007).
408:– via Newspapers.com.
381:– via Newspapers.com.
124:Virginia Symphony Orchestra
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102:to study with her mentor,
900:Rutgers University alumni
212:Charlotte, North Carolina
88:Manhattan School of Music
870:American opera composers
736:"Boards - Composers Now"
811:https://www.tfront.com/
646:St. Louis Post-Dispatch
619:St. Louis Post-Dispatch
154:American Opera Projects
145:influence in the work.
895:Oberlin College alumni
701:The Charlotte Observer
675:The Charlotte Observer
603:– via EBSCOhost.
189:Invitation to a Die-In
181:Invitation to a Die-In
530:Andre, Naomi (2018).
224:Charlotte Mecklenburg
220:Charlotte Mecklenburg
740:www.composersnow.org
448:"Following Her Muse"
621:. February 23, 2018
566:Times Herald-Record
307:Gray, Anne (2007).
120:Voices Shouting Out
70:and her father was
274:The New York Times
232:Keith Lamont Scott
141:. Okoye used some
100:Rutgers University
74:, a member of the
767:. August 16, 2020
543:978-0-252-05061-9
506:The Baltimore Sun
432:978-0-252-07454-7
398:The Baltimore Sun
324:978-1-59975-320-1
152:was premiered by
148:In 2014, Okoye's
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704:. Retrieved
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649:. Retrieved
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285:. Retrieved
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174:Samuel Green
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108:Danny Glover
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50:, including
20:Nkeiru Okoye
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845:1972 births
796:January 28,
771:January 28,
745:January 28,
512:December 9,
485:December 9,
458:December 9,
404:December 9,
377:December 9,
158:plantations
92:Long Island
839:Categories
250:References
201:David Cote
197:Invitation
179:Her work,
333:123539910
282:0362-4331
187:in 2018.
58:Biography
205:gunshots
143:Ghanaian
72:Nigerian
64:New York
44:musician
40:composer
594:Newsday
315:214-215
137:called
84:Nigeria
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429:
331:
321:
280:
241:Awards
214:, the
347:"FAQ"
28:
798:2023
773:2023
747:2023
708:2019
682:2019
653:2019
627:2019
601:2019
573:2019
538:ISBN
514:2019
487:2019
460:2019
427:ISBN
406:2019
379:2019
329:OCLC
319:ISBN
289:2019
278:ISSN
172:and
114:Work
82:and
76:Igbo
42:and
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