Da’Kneisha Nikoyle Blount
Biography
Da’Kneisha Nikoyle Blount (b. 17 October 1988, Kansas City, Mo.) is an American composer, singer and educator.
Ms. Blount grew up in the Kansas City area; she began singing gospel music in her grandparent's church. Her mother, Ivy Bradley, recognized a gift for music in her, so she would have her singing hymns around the house as well as at church at a very young age. The first lady of First Baptist Church of Bethel, Sister Monica, would be the first person to introduce Da’Kneisha to classical singing; she fell in love with it. From there she would go to participate in concert chorus, madrigal singers as well as compete in solo contests throughout her high school career at J. C. Harmon High School Kansas City, Kansas.
Her love of music followed her throughout college at Emporia State and Wichita State; Da’Kneisha has studied in Italy, New York, and New Jersey; she has participated in college stage plays; various musicals and operas. She has sung with The Houston Ebony Guild, an African American opera association that performed negro spirituals, operas, and other classical genres.
Da’Kneisha regularly performs as a principal voice with the American Opera Studio. Her most recent role was Lavecchia from the opera Gianni Schicchi; the studio toured Spain and Portugal performing the opera and a series of sacred music.
Da’Kneisha has served as a worship leader at various churches in the state of Kansas as well as Texas where she was singing both traditional gospel, contemporary christian, and urban contemporary music. she is currently serving as the worship leader for both the adult and youth praise teams at Grace Tabernacle Family Life Center Outreach.
Works for Winds
- Khronos (2022)
Resources
- Nikoyle Noel, personal correspondence, March 2022
- Nikoyle Noel website Accessed 30 March 2022