"Rebeca Omordia is half Romanian, half Nigerian – and it’s a powerful combination! Rebeca’s technique knows no bounds but, more importantly, she plays with a depth of insight and understanding which is all too rare today."
Julian Lloyd Webber, London Magazine
Hailed as an “African classical music pioneer” (BBC World Service) and “a classical music game changer” (Classical Music), London-based award-winning pianist Rebeca Omordia is an exciting virtuoso with a wide-ranging career as soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and artistic director.
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.
Pianist Rebeca Omordia has dedicated her career promoting and reviving African art music. She has worked to bring composers from the African continent to greater prominence through her work and her recordings, such as her album “EKELE” and the “African Pianism” album series. In 2019 she launched the world’s first ever African Concert Series in London with the aim of creating a platform for African classical music to be performed, since 2023 the series has been residing at the iconic Wigmore Hall in London.
Pianist Rebeca Omordia has toured Nigeria multiple times, performing solo recitals and with orchestras. Her Nigerian tours are part of her broader work to promote classical music from African composers. In addition to public concerts, she has given masterclasses to students in Lagos. During her time in the country, the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian described her as "the pianist who cast a spell on Lagos". Her tours align with her passion for promoting Nigerian classical music. She has also partnered with the Nigeria High Commission in London to help showcase this genre.
Pianist Rebeca Omordia has built a significant career performing and recording British music. A major turning point in Omordia's career was winning the Delius Prize in 2009. This led to a three-year duo partnership with renowned British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, touring the UK and making live broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. Omordia’s Doctoral thesis focused on the piano music of British composer John Ireland, she has toured the UK and performed Ireland's music in recitals. A music critic for Classical Source praised her 2015 performance of Ireland's Piano Sonata, noting her "complete" command of the work's structure and "compelling" control of its changing moods. Omordia's album, The Piano Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, recorded with British pianist Mark Bebbington, reached No. 3 on the UK's Specialist Classical Music Chart. She has performed and recorded with other prominent figures in British music, including cellist Raphael Wallfisch and the Chineke! Chamber Ensemble.
Omordia’s duo partnership with South African double bass virtuoso Leon Bosch, has produced six albums featuring “The South African Double Bass” and “The 21st Century British Double Bass”.
Rebeca was born in Romania to a Romanian mother and a Nigerian father. Having begun to establish a profile in her native country, after graduating from National Music University in Bucharest in 2006, where she studied with acclaimed Romanian pianist and professor Dana Borsan, she continued her studies in the UK at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Trinity College of Music in London with professor Mikhail Kazakevich. Rebeca holds a Doctor in Music degree from the National University of Music in Bucharest, Romania.