Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli ( MFR) is a

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

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

with cross-cultural

Itsekiri The Itsekiri (also called the Isekiri, ''i Jekri'', ''Itsekri'', ''Ishekiri'', or Itsekhiri) are one of the Yoruboid subgroup of Nigeria's Niger Delta area, Delta State. The Itsekiris presently number 2.7 million people and live mainly in the ...

and

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internati ...

roots.

Career

Omatshola combined his first degree in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...

from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, with a specialization in classical music concert performance and philharmonic composition of the

University of Lausanne The University of Lausanne (UNIL; french: links=no, Université de Lausanne) 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 Switze ...

. 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 Records Ltd. is a German-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 the United States. ...

International in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

with his

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

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. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalist ...

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 MUSON Centre (Musical Society of Nigeria) is a performance hall in Lagos. The multipurpose civic auditorium is located in the heart of Lagos Island, situated between the National Museum, the City Mall, the Onikan Stadium and the former off ...

, 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 one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

’s brother,

Marlon Marlon is a masculine given name. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', the popularity of Marlon Brando led to general awareness of the name (his father was also named Marlon), though the origin of the name is not known. Speculati ...

, of

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most ...

) 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 Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

, 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 ( ; Hangul: , Hanja: , ; 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 conglomera ...

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.

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