American composer and lyricist Nkeiru Okoye has been hailed as “gripping” and “evocative” by the New York Times. In the 2023-24 season, Okoye has been appointed “Creator in Residence” for the Louisville Orchestra Creator Corps; her evening length work, When the Caged Bird Sings will premiere at the University of Michigan in February; Boston Modern Orchestra Project presents a new production of her opera, Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed that Line to Freedom. Okoye celebrates the 250th anniversary of poet Phillis Wheatley’s first book, with a narrated story for orchestra, Phillis Wheatley: A Musical Journey, commissioned by Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Okoye won The American Prize in vocal chamber music for her song cycle, We Met At the Symphony. She is a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow, a 2021-23 Hermitage Artist Retreat Fellow. In 2020, Detroit Symphony Orchestra appointed her Composer-in-Residence for their "Classical Roots Festival," featuring her work, Black Bottom. Okoye's music has been commissioned, performed and presented by Philadelphia Orchestra, the Juilliard School, Baltimore Symphony, Opera North UK, Houston Grand Opera, the American Opera Project, Moscow Symphony, Tanglewood Music Festival, Virginia Symphony, Tulsa Opera, Royal Opera House, UK, and many others. Okoye believes in engaging communities through her music. She is a mentor composer for the National Association of Teachers of Singing Art Song Initiative and the American Opera Project, Composers and the Voice program. Okoye’s piece, “Dancing Barefoot in the Rain," is immortalized by Carnegie Hall's CH monogram campaign. To learn more, visit www.nkeiruokoye.com
