Bringing the legend of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba to life

Juwon Ogungbe

Ethiopian legend tells of the Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem, and as a result of the time they spent together, the Queen gave birth to Menelik I – the first Ethiopian Emperor of the Solomonic Dynasty. Haile Selassie was the last reigning Emperor to come from this lineage, and this story is also of significance to the Rastafari Movement, because of Haile Selassie’s divine status within the faith.

Now singer and composer Juwon Ogungbe has written a new music-theatre piece exploring the legend, with music influenced by African musical genres and Western classical opera.

To co-incide with Black History Month, Ogungbe's King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba will be performed at Theatre Peckham with an ensemble of classical singers from diverse heritages, and a youth chorus from Theatre Peckham, in a semi-staged presentation. There will also be a Q&A after the show.

Juwon Ogungbe has composed for the BBC, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Southbank Centre amongst many others. In 2018, his operatic works have been in various stages of development at Opera North, the Grimeborn Festival and at the Dhow Countries Music Academy, Zanzibar.

Further detail and tickets from BandsInTown.