Christian Onyeji
Name
Christian Onyeji
Bio
Christian Onyeji holds a Doctor of Music degree from the University of Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, a Master of Arts degree in composition, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music as well as a Diploma in Music Education from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. A Professor of music at the Department of Music, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Christian is an internationally recognized music composer, educator and scholar who specializes in Research-Composition, a compositional approach that applies ethnomusicological procedures in the composition of modern African art music that is a logical continuum of African traditional music. His numerous compositions for different media have been performed within and outside Nigeria.
He is a researcher on African music as well as composes from the African stock. He has made contributions to modern African art music for symphony orchestra, drummistic piano style of modern compositions for the piano, choral compositions, solo voice and piano compositions as well as scholarly works in some leading journals. His Christmas Choral composition titled “N’ihi n’amuworo ayi otu nwa” published by Oxford University Press has been performed by different choirs of the world including the Mommon Tabernacle Choir, the world’s best choir. His publication of a collection of twenty Nigerian songs composed or arranged by him for solo voices have become valuable resource for voice students. He was the Festival Lecturer for the 2008 National Festival of Arts in Grahamstown, South Africa at the Art Music Performance part of the festival.
He is a member of International Society of Music Education where he served on two Standing Committees; Pan African Society for Musical Arts Education; International Association of Audiovisual Archives; International Association of Music Libraries Archives and Documentation Centres, Association of Nigerian Musicologists and International Council for Traditional Music where he is a member of the Committee on Online Dialogues on Decolonization of Music. He was a member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ National Committee on Ethics and Grievances.
He completed the Post Doctoral Research Fellowship at the School of Music, North-West University in South Africa in 2011, during which he pioneered the research on the indigenous music of the Batswana people of the North-West Province of South Africa. He serves as the Editor or a member of Editorial Board of Different Journals and reviews articles for international journals. He was awarded Global Lifetime Achievers International Gold Award (GLAIGA) in 2012 in a Grand Ceremony held in Accra, Ghana, by Nigerian Top Leaders International Magazine. He was also given the Outstanding Vocational Service Award in 2014 by Rotary Club, Nsukka. He presented the 102nd Inaugural Lecture of the University of Nigeria titled “Composing Art Music from Indigenous African Musical paradigms”. He was the Dean of Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka from 2016 to 2018 after having served as Head of Department of Music University of Nigeria and University of Uyo as well the Associate Dean of Faculty of Arts and the School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State.
He is a researcher on African music as well as composes from the African stock. He has made contributions to modern African art music for symphony orchestra, drummistic piano style of modern compositions for the piano, choral compositions, solo voice and piano compositions as well as scholarly works in some leading journals. His Christmas Choral composition titled “N’ihi n’amuworo ayi otu nwa” published by Oxford University Press has been performed by different choirs of the world including the Mommon Tabernacle Choir, the world’s best choir. His publication of a collection of twenty Nigerian songs composed or arranged by him for solo voices have become valuable resource for voice students. He was the Festival Lecturer for the 2008 National Festival of Arts in Grahamstown, South Africa at the Art Music Performance part of the festival.
He is a member of International Society of Music Education where he served on two Standing Committees; Pan African Society for Musical Arts Education; International Association of Audiovisual Archives; International Association of Music Libraries Archives and Documentation Centres, Association of Nigerian Musicologists and International Council for Traditional Music where he is a member of the Committee on Online Dialogues on Decolonization of Music. He was a member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ National Committee on Ethics and Grievances.
He completed the Post Doctoral Research Fellowship at the School of Music, North-West University in South Africa in 2011, during which he pioneered the research on the indigenous music of the Batswana people of the North-West Province of South Africa. He serves as the Editor or a member of Editorial Board of Different Journals and reviews articles for international journals. He was awarded Global Lifetime Achievers International Gold Award (GLAIGA) in 2012 in a Grand Ceremony held in Accra, Ghana, by Nigerian Top Leaders International Magazine. He was also given the Outstanding Vocational Service Award in 2014 by Rotary Club, Nsukka. He presented the 102nd Inaugural Lecture of the University of Nigeria titled “Composing Art Music from Indigenous African Musical paradigms”. He was the Dean of Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka from 2016 to 2018 after having served as Head of Department of Music University of Nigeria and University of Uyo as well the Associate Dean of Faculty of Arts and the School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State.
