Rebeca Omordia

REBECA OMORDIA

Rebeca Omordia is a British-Nigerian award-winning classical pianist and curator, internationally recognised for her pioneering work in African classical music. Hailed as a “classical music game changer” (Classical Music Magazine) and an “African classical music pioneer” (BBC World Service), she is widely regarded as a leading advocate for composers of African heritage. Through performance, recording, and curation, she continues to reshape perceptions of the classical piano repertoire for the 21st century.
Born in Romania to Nigerian-Romanian parents and based in London, Omordia’s artistic work is rooted in cultural dialogue and discovery. Her performances and recordings foreground piano music by African composers from across the continent, combining rigorous classical technique with rhythmic vitality and deep musical insight. The Guardian has praised her interpretations as “wild and shimmering piano gems,” while The Times has highlighted her “sparkling technique, rhythmic panache and deep sympathy.”
Pianist Rebeca Omordia’s many recordings include the BBC Music Magazine Award-winning Piano Concerto by Errollyn Wallen, composed specifically for Omordia, with BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by John Andrews. Omordia’s critically acclaimed recording series African Pianism has received widespread international attention. Her albums have been featured by Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, International Piano, and selected as BBC Radio 3 Essential Classics Album of the Week, with The Times naming African Pianism recording “one of the best classical albums of the year”. Through these recordings, she has introduced audiences worldwide to rarely heard works by African composers.

Alongside her performance career, Rebeca Omordia is the Founder and Artistic Director of the African Concert Series, a unique platform dedicated to African classical music, currently resident at the iconic Wigmore Hall in London. Her work in this area has positioned her as both a performer and a thought leader in re-examining the scope of classical music programming.

Omordia has appeared at major venues and festivals across the UK, Europe, USA and Africa, and regularly collaborates with cultural institutions, universities, and arts organisations, as part of her work to promote African classical music. She has toured Nigeria multiple times as a soloist, during her time in the country, the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian described her as "the pianist who cast a spell on Lagos". In addition to solo recitals, she is an experienced lecturer and curator, frequently presenting lecture-recitals that place music within its historical and cultural frameworks.
She has worked with an array of international musicians including duo-partnerships with world renowned cellist Julian Loyd Webber and double bass virtuoso Leon Bosch.
Omordia graduated with Bachelor in Music from the National Music University in Bucharest, Romania, then she continued her studies in the UK at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Trinity College of Music in London. Rebeca holds a Doctor in Music degree from the National University of Music in Bucharest, Romania.