Over the course of his 20-plus year career, celebrated Lexington-born composer Shawn Okpebholo has been on the receiving end of a number of national accolades and recognitions. He received the prestigious Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the Academy of Arts & Letters this year and was named “Chicagoan of the Year in Classical Music” by the Chicago Tribune in 2024. His music — which the Washington Post has called “devastatingly beautiful” — has been performed by an impressive list of performers that includes the Nashville Opera and noted vocalist Rhiannon Giddens, and he has been commissioned to create musical compositions for arts organizations such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the United States Air Force Strings.
Next month, Okpebholo will have the unique opportunity to give back to his hometown, when Lexington hosts the world premiere of “A Mighty Long Way,” an orchestrated suite he wrote specifically for the city in which he was born and raised. The work, which was commissioned by the city in conjunction with 250Lex, Lexington’s year-long 250th anniversary celebration, will be performed by the Lexington Philharmonic at the Singletary Center during an event dubbed 250Lex: A Concert For Lexington on Sept. 7.
The free event will also feature pre-show activities including live music, family activities and a conversation between Okpebholo and LexPhil music director Mèlisse Brunet on the lawn of the Singletary Center, followed by opening sets inside the Singletary Center Concert Hall from Ben Sollee and Joslyn and the Sweet Compression. The Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra will also perform their own newly commissioned work, “Anthem for Lexington,” prior to the premiere of Okpebholo’s work.
Shawn Okpebholo was composer-in-residence for Lexington Philharmonic’s 2023-’24 season where he debuted his acclaimed LexPhil-commissioned orchestral work, “Two Black Churches.” Photo by Michaela Bowman
Okpebholo has often been highlighted as an artist with particularly impressive variety and range, with complex and emotional compositions that evoke many colors, layers and textures — almost like paintings set to music. His works tend to focus on stories: “Two Black Churches,” another work he premiered in Lexington recently, tells the story of two church bombings decades apart in the South, and another recent work, “Songs In Flight,” explores the untold stories of runaway enslaved individuals.
“A Mighty Long Way” consists of four movements that highlight different aspects of Lexington, from horses, bourbon and bluegrass, to the city’s difficult history as the former site of one of the region’s largest slave auctions.
“I couldn’t write a piece that doesn’t address the complex and hard history of Lexington, too,” Okpebholo said. “Obviously Cheapside was one of the largest slave auction blocks of the south. Even though they changed the name, it’s still there.”
Ultimately, the work covers a range of emotions, from serious and contemplative to celebratory and playful. It even feels a little bit drunken at times, Okpebholo said with a laugh — “but not in a bad way.”
“I tried to really capture the essence of what Lexington is all about. This is a city I was born in, I was raised in, my family is all still there,” he said. “It’s a piece that reflects the city of Lexington, but a piece that I wanted to go beyond the city as well.”
Shawn Okpebholo recently took the time to answer a few questions for Smiley Pete reporter Celeste Lewis.
What was it like growing up in Lexington? Truly wonderful. Looking back, even though I didn’t come from a place of privilege, I’m so grateful for the community that surrounded me. Anchored by my mother and supported by our church, Salvation Church, and the public school system, I was surrounded by people who poured into me with encouragement, opportunity, education and a whole lot of love.
How did you discover music in your life and realize you wanted to compose music as a career? Once I was exposed to music — first through church and then through school — I knew almost immediately that it had to be a central part of my life. It’s funny, even as a kid I had this strong instinct that I’d rather create music than perform it. That instinct never left, and it eventually grew into a full career in composition.
Tell me about some of the places music has taken you. Wow! Honestly, it’s humbling. Music has quite literally taken me all over the world, from Carnegie Hall and other iconic venues to most states across the United States, and to Europe, Africa and Asia. I don’t take any of it for granted.
Tell me about being commissioned to do this piece to celebrate Lexington’s 250th and your work to bring the finished composition to be performed in Lexington. This commission means so much to me. The Lexington Philharmonic was the first orchestra I ever experienced as a young elementary school kid, so to now be writing a piece for them feels poetic. And because I was born and raised in Lexington, with deep cultural roots here, writing a piece about my hometown is deeply personal and meaningful. The music seeks to reflect the richness and complexity of our city from our equestrian heritage to the painful legacy of Cheapside, to the joy of bourbon culture, and of course, to our historic connection to Bluegrass.
What is a practice you use to tap into your creative energy? Prayer. And I intentionally engage with other art forms — visual art, theater, literature. I also try to stay rooted in our shared stories and histories. That connection keeps the creative energy flowing.
What advice would you give to young musicians and composers? I have two: Be kind. And cultivate meaningful friendships. Those relationships will carry you far, both personally and professionally.
On writing “A Mighty Long Way,” his composition dedicated to Lexington, Okpebholo said, "I tried to really capture the essence of what Lexington is all about ... but I wanted to go beyond the city as well.” Photo furnished
A Concert for Lexington: World Premiere of “A Mighty Long Way”
Sept. 7 • Pre-show activities at 1 p.m., Show at 3 p.m. • Singletary Center for the Arts • lexphil.org/250lex
Pre-show activities on the lawn of the Singletary Center will begin at 1 p.m.. Attendees can enjoy entertainment from M’Power Rhythm, a conversation between Lexington Philharmonic’s Music Director Mèlisse Brunet and Shawn Okpebholo, family activities with the Carnegie Center and the Living Arts & Science Center, and refreshments.
In addition to Okpebholo’s commissioned work, the Concert for Lexington, beginning at 3 p.m. in the Singletary Center Concert Hall, will feature performances by Ben Sollee, Joslyn and the Sweet Compression, and the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra, which will perform a newly commissioned “Anthem for Lexington.” Additionally, the Lexington Philharmonic will perform “Short Piece for Orchestra” by African American composer and Lexington native Julia Perry.
NOTE: While tickets to the event are free, registration is required and Concert Hall registration quickly reached capacity. However, to meet the excitement and demand of our community, organizers have created a Concert Hall waitlist and have opened up the Recital Hall for general admission, where the performance will be simulcast. Tickets will be scanned for entry into both halls. The show will also be live streamed so that people can watch from home. Admission to the pre-show lawn activities is open to everyone, regardless of ticket status.