Meet the musician: Chi-chi Nwanoku

Appointed both an MBE and an OBE for services to music, Nwanoku is the founder of the Chineke! Orchestra, Europe’s first classical orchestra made up of a majority of black and minority ethnic musicians, who performed their inaugural concert here in Southbank Centre in 2015.

In this short, but comprehensive interview Nwanoku explains what she loves about classical concerts, the importance of the audience, and how there is no right or wrong way to enjoy a classical concert.

What do you love about classical concerts?

I have very vivid memories of my first classical music concert. I remember being mesmerised by the concentration and silent communication between the players on the stage, and at how unanimous they were. That feeling of witnessing alchemy in action. 

Just before the group begins to play, there is a sense of anticipation, tension, a bit of danger. There is no safety net. The members of the orchestra are guided by the gestures of the conductor and the notes on paper in front of them, and soloists often play from memory.

I love that musicians in classical concerts are working together to create a sublime moment. They are constantly listening and interacting with each other, communicating the stories and feelings in the music through their instruments, inviting the audience on a journey. When you listen to a classical concert, it’s essentially a story without words, it’s emotion and energy in its purest form.

Through music, there is a connecting thread that runs from the composer, however far back in the past the work was written, through the players and their instruments, to the ears of the audience. Music is entrancing, emotive energy that pulses through you. 

What, if anything, would you change about classical concerts?

I don’t like the unspoken rule that says that you can’t clap between movements. Sometimes, there are moments in a piece of music that are so outstanding, they touch you very deeply, that you want to express your appreciation. Our instinct is to clap, dance or cheer, and sitting quietly seems very counterintuitive; it’s hard to suppress that response. 

I wish all orchestras would acknowledge the audience’s clapping when they walk onto the stage. By collectively ignoring it I feel that is the point at which the barrier immediately goes up. Chineke! take great pride in really welcoming our audiences to our concerts by visibly engaging with them when we first come on stage. We are collective in this unanimous show of thanks to the audience and remain standing until every one of us is assembled on stage, and take our collective bow of thanks. 

‘I wish all orchestras would acknowledge the audience’s clapping when they walk onto the stage. By collectively ignoring it, I feel that is the point at which the barrier immediately goes up.’

Chi-chi Nwanoku

How does it feel to perform in a concert? What role does the audience play in the experience?

Performing live is a wonderful feeling, because it’s great to finally play for the audience after all the rehearsal preparation and build-up. There is a slight nervousness, but mainly nervous excitement, as after 38 years on the international platform I’ve learned how to channel most fears into a positive outcome. 

There’s an energy that builds up as you walk out on stage to the applause from the audience who are shrouded in darkness; you are greeted by your music on the stand, and you take your place alongside your fellow musicians. We settle into the quiet and so does the audience. We are all ready, waiting for the conductor’s instruction. We are under their guidance for the duration of the music. 

The audience is so important because, as a performer, I want to communicate with them; there is absolutely no point otherwise. My objective is to translate the intention of the composer from these visual clues on the sheet of music using my technique and musicianship into making musical sense of the notes that travel through the ear and eventually hit the heart! 

At the end of a performance, after the last note rings out and the silence descends, I wait and hope for a sign that I have been understood and have made an impact on the listener. We musicians want to make a connection with you. 

Do you have any top tips for first-time concert goers?

Sit back, relax and enjoy the music. There is no right or wrong way to listen. You don’t have to know any technical jargon to enjoy classical music. Observe the different kinds of instruments on stage, how they all play their part in making this harmonious sound. Notice how the music makes you feel; it may change from moment to moment. And if you don’t like it, that’s OK, too. 

Can you suggest a piece of music that a classical newcomer would enjoy listening to?

For anyone who wants to experience very lush, romantic music I would recommend Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, one of Britain’s greatest composers of the late 19th and early 20th century. His Ballade in A minor is very much a Chineke! signature piece, having performed it at our inaugural concert at Southbank Centre in 2015. It will carry you away immediately with soaring string and powerful brass – I feel every note he writes comes from his heart.