Ghanaian composer, Kwaku Boakye-Frempong, has scheduled his upcoming classical concert ‘Stabat Mater’ for April 10th, 2022.
The concert, which will be held at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, commemorates Palm Sunday.
Stabat Mater, which literally means the ‘Mother was Standing’, is originally the title of an old Latin poem that has been set to music by many composers in Western Art Music including Joseph Franz Haydn, Giaochino Rossini, Giovanni Baptista Pergolesi, etc.
It talks about the emotional suffering Mary went through while her son Jesus Christ was being maltreated and crucified.
Kwaku Boakye-Frempong’s Stabat Mater is a cantata (small oratorio) translated to English and seeks to paint the subject with music.
On the 10th of April, Palm Sunday, the oratorio will be premiered at the Holy Spirit Cathedral by Kelvin & Friends, Greater Accra Mass Choir, and Accra City Orchestra.
About Kwaku Boakye-Frempong
Kwaku Boakye-Frempong was born in Nelspruit, South Africa on the 22nd of March, 1995. He was born to Yiadom Boakye-Frempong, a college teacher, and Agnes Boakye-Frempong, a midwife.
He was introduced to music theory at an early age of 6 when he was in class 1 at Deks Educational Institute. In 2006, he joined the Children Choir of Deeper Life Bible Church. As his interest in musical performance grew, he joined the Atenteben Ensemble in his school and this saw the beginning of the application of the music theory he had learned.
In 2008, he met his first violin teacher, Ida Gbadam, who gave him basic violin techniques and exercises. He showed a lot of promise and continued to receive lessons from Mr. Mokwa, a former senior violinist in the National Symphony Orchestra. While he progressed musically, he began taking lessons in keyboard playing from Richard Densu, who is currently the Senior Marketing Manager of MTN.
He joined the Pope John Senior High School Choir in 2009 and became the chief organist in 2012. He expressed interest in composition, and he studied the art of composition from books in the school’s library. By 2013, he had composed alternative tunes for some Catholic Hymns.
Some of his works were performed by the Ho Polytechnic School Choir when he joined them in 2016. Meanwhile, the last chorus of his oratorio, Lucifer, was performed by the Pax Choir of KNUST at their annual CHORALFEST. He was 22 years old at the time. He was given an opportunity to perform Nana Boɔ, his piano sonata, at the Netherlands Ambassador’s residence.
In 2019, he left Ho where he had been living for 5 years for Accra, and he joined the Ghana National Symphony Orchestra where he was a violist, pianist, and arranger.
He met Alberta Opata, a classical music soloist, Art Music enthusiast, and member of Greater Accra Mass Choir, and has been working with her as her manager and accompanist.
Some of his performed works include:
- the Ghanaian Composers Mashup Masterpiece Part I & II (chorus & solo)
- Momma yɛmfa aseda mmra n’anim (chorus)
- Sound the trumpet of Victory (chorus)
- Let our hearts combine (chorus)
- Mie nye dzifiasrafo (chorus)
- The fibroid song (chorus)
- Agorɔ (piano solo)
- Anansesem (piano solo)
- Nana Buor (piano solo)
- Akua Brakoa (string quartet)
- Angel’s Overture (chorus)
- Morning comes with Light all-cheering (vocal solo)
- As from the power of sacred lays (vocal solo)
- Hark the glad sound (vocal solo)
- We shall be happy (vocal solo)
Kwaku is currently a music student at the Wisconsin International University College, and he is mentored by Newlove Annan, Victor Manieson, and Emmanuel Esson. He is also a music arranger and resident composer for the Ruotolo String Quartet. He is a writer at Choral Music Ghana, an organization that promotes composers, choirs, concerts and Art Music in Gha na
By Daniel Abugre Anyorigya
