BIOGRAPHY
Dr Arthur Mudogo Kemoli was born in 1945 in Vohovole, Kenya. The first boy in his family, he was a trailblazer not only in his home and among the Maragoli, but also within Kenya as a whole becoming a distinguished academic and music composer. His works number almost a hundred choral arrangements and compositions, many of which are sung at choral music festivals around the world. In 1998 he was awarded the O.G.W. (Order of Grand Warrior) by the Kenyan government for his extensive teaching and research experience in literature, his revolutionary linguistic expression approach, and dedication to cultural development in the country through music.
Arthur Mudogo Kemoli completed his secondary education at Kakamega High School and later joined the prestigious Alliance High School where he sat for his A levels. Although he came from a musical background - his own grandfather was a litungu player and he himself played the guitar as a young boy - his musical talent as a composer and choral director really came to the fore whilst at Alliance. He was the school's pianist while at Alliance and also directed the choirs at Alliance Boys and Alliance Girls, leading them to win at national music competitions. It was whilst at Alliance that he composed his first choral composition Yesu Alanga.
He later graduated with a First Class Honours in Literature from the University of Nairobi before joining Cambridge University, UK, to read an MA in literature. He completed his PHD at the University of Sussex, UK, in Afro-Caribbean Literature after struggling to find a supervisor at Cambridge. Back then, professors specialising in African and Afro-Caribbean Literature were few and far between. Whilst at Cambridge he sang under Sir David Willcocks at King's College, and at the University of Sussex he conducted the madrigal group.
It therefore followed naturally on his return to Kenya from the UK that he carried on his highly developed choral interests and training, and was the first African organist at the Anglican Church in Nairobi, All Saints Cathedral.
His literary background informed many of his musical works and his approach to composition, which can be described as very lyrical but also heavily driven by African rhythm. Additionally, his classical music training and love of J.S. Bach influenced some of his work - most famously the contrapuntal arrangement of the Maragoli spiritual No Musalaba Gogenda - a choral piece that has been performed widely and used as a study piece at schools and colleges. This is the choral work his critics and peers consider to be the epitome of his work as a composer.