Nyokabi Kariũki
Nyokabi Kariũki (b. 1998, she/her) is a Kenyan composer and performer based between New York, Maryland, and Nairobi. Her sonic imagination is ever-evolving, with compositions ranging from classical contemporary to choral music, film, experimental pop; and further includes explorations into sound art, electronics, and (East) African musical traditions. As a classically-trained pianist of 16 years, and as a vocalist who has been self-teaching instruments from the African continent (particularly the mbira), she embraces the title of composer-performer often. Her art seeks to bridge her many influences — from her African upbringing to her Western classical training — together into a mélange of accessible, evocative, and meaningful art. She is dedicated to using composition as a tool to not only re-discover the stories of her culture, but also to highlight its significance, and contribute to the preservation of African and Black stories.
Nyokabi’s works have been performed across the United States and internationally, and she has written for various performers and ensembles including the Brooklyn Youth Chorus Men’s Ensemble, piano duo Chromic, and the Heartland Marimba Quartet. Several of her collaborations with filmmakers, choreographers, and/or other artists have been seen at events including the Out of Africa Film Festival (Nairobi, Kenya), the Melbourne Fringe Festival (Melbourne, Australia), and Lincoln Center’s Dance on Camera Festival (New York). Most recently, Nyokabi was announced the winner of composer Alev Lenz’s ‘Recompose’ Competition, hosted in collaboration with SA Recordings and Spitfire Audio, and she worked with British animator Prehuman (Bombay Bicycle Club, Yoko Ono) and Grammy-nominated artist Alev Lenz on a music video for her winning entry.
To stay up to date with Nyokabi and her work, visit HERE.
Published Works
SATB choir and piano
Soprano or mezzo-soprano and piano
TTB choir
High voice (mezzo-/soprano) and piano