Odekhiren Amaize & David Korevaar - The Negro Speaks of Rivers - Art Songs by African-American Composers (1999)

Odekhiren Amaize, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was born in Nigeria. He began formal vocal training at the University of Texas and continued at Indiana University, as well as at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia. He was a Fellow at Opera Music Theater International, performing and studying under Jerome Hines, and was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Moscow. Known to his colleagues as Ode, the bass-baritone has performed internationally in recitals of art songs.

This celebration of songs by African-American composers includes a wide range of emotion and styles. After listening to both this CD and the singer’s Pora! album [MSR Classics MS082098], it is easy to understand how the Russian conductor Dmitri Hochlov could exclaim: “Ode, I'm inspired with your voice and even more, your soul.”