William H. Chapman Nyaho, Pianist Raised in Ghana After U.S. Birth Dec. 28, 1958

William H. Chapman Nyaho was born in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 28, 1958. When he was only ten months old, his parents returned to their native Ghana with him. He grew up there and graduated from Ghana’s Achimota School after studying piano with John Barham. Nyaho received his B.A. in Music from Oxford University in the U.K. After studies in piano at the Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva, Switzerland, and with Henri Gautier, he earned a Master of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Nyaho studied with David Renner at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Doctoral degree in Music.

Following a four-year residency as a North Carolina Visiting Artist, Nyaho taught at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from 1991-2002. He has performed as a soloist in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and North America. He also plays chamber music as part of the Nyaho/Garcia Duo. His Web site for both solo and duo activities is: www.Nyaho.com

The CD Senku: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent, Musicians Showcase Recordings 1091 (2003) is comprised of solo piano works by eight composers:

Joshua Uzoigwe (b. 1946), Nigeria; Oswald Russell (b. 1933), Jamaica; Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004), United States; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), United Kingdom; Margaret Allison Bonds (1913-1972), United States; Gamal Abdel-Rahim (1924-1988), Egypt; R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943), Canada; Gyimah Labi (b. 1950), Ghana.

The liner notes are by the poet Maya Angelou, a mentor to the pianist. Brief audio samples of all eight tracks can be heard at Nyaho’s website.

The Nyaho/Garcia Duo is committed to performing music of composers of African or Hispanic heritage, as well works of contemporary, American and women composers. The Duo has a recording to its credit as well: Aaron Copland: Music for Two Pianos, Centaur 2405 (1998).

Nyaho has compiled and edited an unprecedented five-volume anthology, Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora. The music is organized by skill level, from beginning to advanced. Oxford University Press published Volumes 1 and 2 in March 2007.

AfriClassical invited Nyaho to comment for this birthday tribute. He told us Volumes 3 & 4 of the Oxford University Press anthology will be available in the early part of 2008, and Volume 5 and the clothbound edition, which consists of all five volumes, will be published later in 2008. Nyaho added:

“My new CD ASA will be out in early 2008. It consists of music by Fred Onovwerosuoke, Florence Price, Halim El Dabh, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Isaac Roux, Amadeo Roldan y Gardes, Alain-Pierre Pradel, and Ludovic Lamothe.

I will be Visiting Artist/Teacher at Willamette University for the Spring 2008. I will be in South Africa in the early part of spring 2008 where I will be judging the prestigious UNISA International Piano Competition. I have also been invited to be on the summer faculty of Adamant Music School in Vermont and also Interlochen. I am truly grateful.”