Meet Innocent Okechukwu

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Innocent Okechukwu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Innocent , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is not a gift or something to be boastful about. It is what life made you become. The struggles of life, pain, navigating through difficult situations would eventually make you resilient.

I have been through so much in life, but where I come from, giving up is never an option. You just have to continue to climb even after falling for a thousand times.
You never show your pain to others, you must endure it all and keep enduring.

Losing my Dad at 21, I have been able to navigate through the hurdles of getting my First degree in Music at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and then getting my first job in a Middle School, I witnessed how saturated the music teaching industry is. I struggled and toiled, even taught in a Music Institute in Dubai, UAE for two and half years, and faced greater health crises along with career crises. I was let down by people I trusted so deeply. I was hurting from betrayal and battling depression and anxiety. This led to me returning back to my country.

In the midst of all the tribulations, I had my Mom, and my siblings and few friends who stood by me. This gave me great courage to keep trying my luck on life.
I applied to a Master’s degree in Music Composition at Longy School of Music of Bard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and I was accepted and offered scholarships which made it possible for me to pursue the degree.
Graduated and met with another phase of trial.
I taught in a Middle School, while applying for a PhD program. Firstly, I was accepted for the first program, but there was no funding. I remained true to my art, kept walking my way and reapplying,
Today, I am pursuing my PhD degree at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.

Talk about resilience as a Music Composer, especially as a Black Composer in the USA, you are unlikely to be accepted at any call for scores, jobs, commissioning, or even getting your work published or performed by well known philharmonic orchestras.
I have received so many “NOs” when I send in my work for competitions or conferences.
This is not just peculiar to me, but many blacks since history.
Florence Price was a Black female Composer who faced so much discrimination but force her way through.
I draw inspiration from her life, works and battles she fought.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Innocent Okechukwu, Nigerian prolific composer and pianist, graduated from Longy School of Music (Cambridge, MA, USA) with a Master’s degree in Music Composition. Innocent, has over two hundred (200) compositions to his credit, which have been programmed in various parts of the world- Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Notable amongst them are his Sacred Cantata; Oku Ncheghari (A Call for Repentance), Three flute concertos, Waterfall (A Clarinet Balleto), A Dance of the Wizard (flute concerto), and a New York premiered duet Ije Uwa (The travails of life), When the world is sick (SATB, also arranged for solo voice), Ave Verum (SATB), Oji – kola nut (Solo Piano), Sinking sand (violin sonata), Hang-out (Trumpet & Piano), Behold the star (SATB for Christmas), Snow, snow (Solo voice), Fear (Soprano), The River Within (String Quartet, World premiered in Boston Center for the Arts, USA), Sneaky One (Brass Quartet), the list continues.
Mr. Innocent had his first degree in Music at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) majoring in Composition and a minor in Piano graduating with first class with honors, and emerged as the Best graduating student from his Department in 2017. Innocent, soon moved to Dubai, UAE where he worked as an instructor in a fast-growing Music Institute – Solid Rock Music and Dance Zone, Dubai. Innocent, holds an Advanced certificate in piano performance from the Trinity College of London School of music board in Dubai, UAE 2019.

Innocent now holds a Masters degree in Music Composition from Longy School of Music of Bard College, Cambridge – USA.
Innocent is currently a Ph.D. Student of Composition at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
In early 2022, he published his first book – Musical Echoes, some collections of his original compositions, which are available for purchase on Amazon. Also published his piano anthology of graded pieces from beginners level to Advanced, titled , “The Voyage”, also available on Amazon.
Innocent was the recipient of :
Bronwyn and Jeffrey Lamont Artistic and Social Change Fellowship 2021-2022 session.
Certifed Music Practitioner Scholar and Access for Equity Scholar, 2022-2023
The First Winner of the UCCMA 30th Anniversary Anthem Commission, – 2023, USA.
Special mention as one of the 12 finalists Composers at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Competition 2021.
Innocent represents a new revolutionary pathway in music, which stands at the intersection between tradition and modernity, old and new. As a Black Composer from Nigeria, and living in the USA, his goal is to make sure his identity is not lost in the process of his pursuit to acquiring other worldview in music.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I learned to be cheerful, no matter what.
People want to see a happy face and not a sad one.

I am still working on diplomacy in communication, which is very necessary in my line of career.

Never listen to people who only find faults with all you do. Or care about those who talk bad about you. You will only get yourself distracted.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

As a Composer, I am always looking for people to collaborate with.
Either Artistes who would like me to write music for them, or performers who are interested in working with me on any particular genre.

Contact Info:

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