Pianist Kamilla Arku to bring the sounds of Africa and the diaspora to Cooper Hall

COOPER Hall will be hosting the New York based pianist Kamilla Arku who will be performing The Dusk-Eyed Queen: Piano Music by Women from Africa and Africa Diaspora on Friday 19th May from 8pm.

Kamilla Arku will be exploring the African diasporic experience through the works of some of the most exciting composers of the past two centuries. The programme’s diverse women composers fête the cultures of Africa and its diaspora, painting vivid portraits of their communities while provoking a long overdue re-assessment of the classical canon.

After two performances in The Lincoln Centre in New York, Kamilla arrives in Frome for a residency and concert at Cooper Hall before playing just two other UK dates in London and Cambridge.

Liberian-Norwegian pianist Kamilla draws on her diverse background as inspiration for her work as a performer and educator. She has recently performed for the Royal Opera House and the Intercultural Music Initiative, as well as collaborated with choreographer Claudia Schreier for Works and Process at the Guggenheim. In the upcoming season, she looks forward to recitals in the US, UK and Liberia, as well as working with a collective of Black female musicians and filmmakers for the First Step project.

Kamilla is also the founder and director of charity Music for Liberia, a charity supporting young people in Liberia through music-based fundraising.  She is a graduate of Yale University and the Royal Northern College of Music and is currently a PhD student in Musicology at New York University.

Cooper Hall can be found at Selwood Manor, Jacks Lane, BA11 3NL. Tickets are £15 and can be purchased at www.cooperhall.org