Midawo Gideon Foli Alorwoyie, Assistant Professor of Music

High priest of the Yewe Cult

Midawo is from Anlo-Afiadenyigba in the Volta Region of Ghana, West Africa and is highly regarded as one of Ghana's foremost virtuosos of traditional music and dance.

Midawo was discovered by Phillip Gbeho, the former head of the Institute of Art and culture in Ghana at Hogbetsotso, and annual Anlo-traditional cultural festival.  Gbeho was so impressed with young Gideon that he offered him a position at the Institute of Art and Culture in 1964.  By 1967, Mr. Alorwoyie worked in the Department of African Studies at the University of Ghana as Chief Master Drummer of the Ghana National Dance Ensemble until 1984.  It was here that he acquired the ability to perform music from different cultures.  He toured France, the United Kingdom, West Germany, Switzerland, the former USSR, Yugoslavia, the Caribbean, and the United States of America as a member of the Ghana National Dance Ensemble.

Midawo has worked with notable scholars and composers such as David Locke, John Chernoff, and Steve Reich.  Mr. Alorwoyie held positions at the American Conservatory of Music and at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago before joining the staff at the University of North Texas as an Assistant Professor of Music, teaching World Music in the Instrumental Studies Department.  He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago-based African-American Unity Ensemble.  His recent projects have included performances at the Ghana Fest in Chicago, master classes in the Ritual Music of Ghana, West Africa at the New England Conservatory in Boston, and performances at the inauguration of CEANA in Atlanta.  He currently holds the position of Master Drummer and Artistic Director in the UNTO African Music and Movement Ensemble as a Professor in the College of Music.

Midawo Gideon Foli Alorwoyie is a wonderful musician, a superb dancer, and has command of a vast repertoire.  He is a virtuoso instrumentalist who has expanded the range of traditional African drumming and possesses extraordinary control of tonal inflection over a wide dynamic range.  When he performs, one senses his total command of the medium.

Given recent emphasis on understanding the multicultural heritage of the United States, specifically the importance of the African heritage, it is crucial to support continuing interchange with traditional African musicians of Midawo Gideon Foli Alorwoyie's caliber.