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Osei
and his many drums  |
Contact Kwabena Osei Appiagyei CD-Osei and
His Akapoma Traditional Music
More
Pictures of |
| Kwabena Osei Appiagyei was
born and raised in a family of traditional musicians in Ghana, West Africa.
Being surrounded by the rhythms and instruments used in ancestral music
during his youth moved Osei to follow in his familys footsteps. For the
past 13 years, Osei has seved as a master musician and educator for the
Ghana Dance Ensemble at the University of Ghana-Legon. He has also
acted as an instructor at the Institute of African Studies and as an educator
of African percussive instruments at the School of Performing Arts in
Legon. Besides his mastery as a musician, Osei is also a master drum maker
and sells instruments as well as other items though his wholesale/retail
craft shop in Ghana.
Through his work with companies
in Ghana, Osei has toured all over Africa, Europe, and Asia. In 1996
he relocated to Durham, North Carolina to join Chuck Davis locally
based African-American Dance Ensemble. While with AADE, Osei has traveld
extensively thoughout the United States and parts of Africa acting in
the capacity of master drummer and African culture specialist. |
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Osei also conducts workshops utilizing Ghanaian drums and instruments. Some of these include the Kpanlongo (from the Ga traditional area), Atumpan (talking drums from the Ashanti), Ewe drums (from the Volta region), Djembe, Dun Dun, xylophone, and bell. Osei has collaborated with various dancers and choreographers to teach traditional Ghanaian rhythms, songs, stories and movements. Moreover, Osei routinely works with other musicians to bring about community awareness and appreciation of the importance of African music, dance and culture in the United States. |
| Selected Performances
The Kennedy Center Washington,
DC
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 ©smoiwai |