Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli MFR (born 17 May 1948) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

flautist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, with cross-cultural

Itsekiri The Itsekiri (also called the Isekiri, ''iJekri'', ''Itsekri'', ''Ishekiri'', or Itsekhiri) are an ethnic group who mainly inhabit Nigeria's Niger Delta area. They speak a Yoruboid languages, Yoruboid language and can be found in Ondo State, Ondo ...

and

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

roots.

Career

Omatshola combined his first degree in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

from the University of St. Gallen in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, with a specialization in classical music concert performance and philharmonic composition of the

University of Lausanne The University of Lausanne (UNIL; ) in Lausanne, Switzerland, was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second-oldest in Switzerland, and one of the oldest universities ...

. During a rich career spanning over 40 years, Omatshola formed numerous bands, including Tee Mac & Afro Collection in the 1970s. He recorded his first LP, ''United'', with

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

International in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

with his

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an band Tee Mac United, in the late seventies. He worked with celebrated Welsh-Nigerian singer

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...

as her musical arranger and conductor and also worked as a composer for Cidi Croft Enterprise and later for Universal Films in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Even though Omatshola spent a lot of time touring across the globe (Far East, Latin America, Europe, North America and South Africa), he always invested in local Nigerian initiatives, becoming one of the pioneers of the Classical Music Society of Nigeria, which eventually founded the Muson Centre, Nigeria’s leading music school. In 2007 Omatshola was elected president of the Musician Union of Nigeria PMAN, investing time and energy into helping develop the Nigerian entertainment industry. In 2009 he was appointed the Nigerian director of the Motherland Group, (initiated by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

’s brother, Marlon, of

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

) which is getting support from the Lagos State Government to build a historical slave museum in Badagry. In 2011 he was elected chairman of FAMECorp, owned by top Nigerian Musicians and Nollywood stars, to build cinema houses and concert halls all over Nigeria. Omatshola was awarded the Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) national honour by Nigeria’s President Yar’adua in 2009 for his vital role in brokering peace with the Niger Delta militants and fighting for their rehabilitation. In 2011 he received an honorary doctorate degree in Arts from Bradley University in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, where he serves as chairman of the board of trustees, and teaches philharmonic composition as visiting associate professor. Omatshola invested into solid minerals (he is the chairman of Allied Minerals Ltd., Cass-Cotan Mining and Processing Ltd.) He is chairman of Tee Mac Petroleum (Nig) Ltd., chairman of Tee Mac Productions (owns a recording studio), chairman of the board of the Tee Mac-HEMLA Foundation (to build music schools for the underprivileged youths of Nigeria), chairman of ACC (Anti Counterfeiting Collaboration, an association of Trade Mark owners), chairman of The Entertainment Foundation of Nigeria, umbrella of all the entertainment associations of Nigeria, music and films; director in Hemla-Ogoni Resources Ltd., director in D&H Energy Nig. Ltd. and the West African representative of

Daewoo Daewoo ( ; ; ; ; literally "great universe" and a portmanteau of "''dae''" meaning great, and the given name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-choong) also known as the Daewoo Group, was a major South Korean chaebol (type of conglomerate) and aut ...

and Hemla (Norway) gas and oil solutions and executive director and shareholder in James Bay Energy Nig. Ltd.

Personal life

Omatshola has three sons Victor, Joseph and Kingsley. Two years after the demise of T.B. Joshua, Omatshola was said to have credited the late Joshua with teaching him "to stay humble, give and believe in God and in the Lord Jesus".

Discography

Albums

* United (1973) * Save Me (1974) * Party Fever (1977) * Mixed Grill (1979) * Night Illusion (1983) * Blind Date (1985) * The Lesser known Flute Composers (classical, 1989) * The Quanz Flute Concertos (1991) * Slightly Sinful (pop, 1999) * Just Like a Dream (2007) * The City of Mer Kailash (ballet, 2009)

New works

* The Synagogue of all Nations Symphony * The Biafra Symphony * 2 Flute Concerto for extended Philharmonic Orchestras.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Omatshola Iseli, Tee Mac Living people Nigerian flautists Year of birth missing (living people) University of St. Gallen alumni