Founded in 2015 to provide career opportunities to young Black and minority classical musicians in the UK and Europe, the Chineke! Orchestra comprises exceptional musicians from across the continent and presents a mixture of standard orchestral repertoire along with the works of Black and minority composers both past and present.

The brainchild of Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, an ex-sprinter and double bass player who was a founding member of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and typically found herself the only Black musician on stage in any concert, Chineke! makes its first US appearances, with cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason as soloist. (Sheku Kanneh-Mason will also present his debut recital on the Chamber Arts Series in December.) Pronounced chi-NECK-ay, the orchestra’s name comes from a Nigerian Igbo exclamation for something amazing.