Charles Ajunwa
The University of Uyo will witness a landmark event as Professor Isaac Essiet Udoh delivers the 118th Inaugural Lecture—the first ever from the Department of Music, on September 11, 2025.
The title of his inaugural lecture, ‘Candelabrum and Crinkum-Crankum in Music Creation: An Autopsy’, encapsulates a profound metaphorical inquiry. ‘Candelabrum’, a holder for multiple lights, symbolises the diverse genres and forms of music—jazz, classical, hip hop, and more—that shine in the vast musical world. ‘Crinkum-crankum’, referring to intricate twists and elaborate decoration, points to the sometimes excessive embellishments in music composition.
Through this inaugural lecture, Udoh aims to dissect and critically examine the processes of music creation. His central message advocates for careful scrutiny of music to determine its societal impact—whether it educates, inspires, or potentially harms. This assessment will be grounded in broadcasting regulations and community ethical standards, reflecting his role not just as an academic but as a minister attuned to morality in music.
As a music scholar, Udoh merges the worlds of sacred ministry and music theory to bring a unique perspective on music creation, tradition, and modernity.
The lecture will blend academic exposition with musical performances. Recorded videos will showcase two compositions—Usen Iba, inspired by Annang themes, and Edi Edise, a piece for an African orchestra. Live performances include the solo and piano rendition of Jehovah Edi Andibok Mi (‘The Lord is my Shepherd’) and a choral piece by the Groves Memorial Methodist Cathedral Choir.
Growing up in a musically inclined family where everyone but his mother was a chorister, young Udoh was immersed in church music from 1976. His father’s powerful tenor voice and early training in solfa notation paved the way for his academic pursuit. Though he briefly considered Medicine and Accounting, music remained his calling, culminating in his admission to study Music at Obafemi Awolowo University in 1989.
His ambition to educate and lecture music was clear from his university days, motivated by the desire to reach the highest echelons in the field, a goal realised with professorial rank and recognition.
Udoh’s oeuvre includes approximately 300 works across genres and instrumentation, ranging from solo pieces for voice, saxophone, trumpet, and piano to choral hymns and orchestral compositions. Yet, it is his sacred music that holds a special place in his heart. Many of his compositions are firmly rooted in traditional Annang musical motifs, thus preserving and promoting local culture within a scholarly frame.
His music enjoys acceptance in academic circles where students perform his works in their projects, but it also resonates with broader church communities. Through careful integration of cultural elements and theological themes, his compositions speak profoundly to societal identity and spirituality.
Udoh continues to wear many hats: professor, knight of Charles Wesley, and reverend minister. He acknowledges his success but remains forward-looking. The inaugural lecture day, September 11, significant for the world due to the tragic 9/11 attacks, he marks it as a day of rising, a metaphorical rebuilding of his dual worlds of academia and spirituality.
His future plans include advanced research in sacred and art music composition, seeking breakthroughs that blend tradition with contemporary creativity. Udoh’s scholarly work extends beyond composition into critical cultural preservation, moral advocacy, and communal upliftment. His documented research includes studies on Annang traditional music, its role in ceremonies, and the migration of oral traditions into written forms. He highlights sacred works, hymn translations, and efforts to elevate music standards across Nigerian churches.
Music, for Udoh, is a vessel for morality, positive mentality, and social reflection, tools to address contemporary challenges facing Nigerian society.
Udoh’s credentials read like a chronicle of firsts: He is the founding Conference Director of Music for Methodist Church Nigeria since 2018; the first Professor of Music among the Methodist Church ministers; the University of Uyo’s first Indigenous Professor of Music; and the pioneer professor in music from Ikot Ekpene, Annang Land, and his local government area.
With over 300 compositions to his credit and a career spanning decades, he is passionate about bridging traditional musical heritage with contemporary art music.
His inaugural lecture promises to be both an intellectual and spiritual feast, a celebration of music’s power to enlighten and elevate. His distinguished career is an inspiring testament to the fusion of cultural heritage and academic rigor, set to shine bright on September 11, 2025: a day he envisions as a true rising.
He shares a warm glimpse into his personal life. Married to Dr. Eno Isaac Udoh, a crop science lecturer, he is father to three children who enjoy music as a hobby but pursue careers in medicine, technology, and law. He underscores the importance of allowing children to follow their chosen paths, even if not fully in music.
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