Wex[EP]: Counterfeit Madison

When Udoh was 12 years old, her father sat her down in their living room, and the two of them listened to Beethoven’s 6th Symphony, Pastorale, in its entirety. From that day, her love affair with arranging for strings began—and will probably develop for the rest of her life. For this free Wex[EP] performance, Udoh presents a few Counterfeit Madison originals reimagined for two cellos, one violin, a guitar, and a piano. Keep watching after the video for a live Q&A with the artist (approx. 6 PM EST).

A 2019 Wexner Center Artist Residency Award recipient, Udoh’s work embodies the richness and absurdity of humanity, the extremes of empathy and chaos, and the struggle and freedom of Black and Brown individuals everywhere.

Counterfeit Madison Revisits Her First Love featuring:
Devin Copfer: violin
John Koon: cello
Sam Johnson: cello
Andrew Sais: electric guitar
Sharon Udoh: piano, voice, and string arrangement
Keith Hanlon: audio engineer
Chip Willis: video and editing
Shot at Summit on 16th, May 16, 2020

Donate to the Columbus Freedom Fund today
The artist requests that viewers who wish to send tips for the performance donate to the Columbus Freedom Fund, a community bail fund centered on Black liberation and freedom started in 2019.
• Donate via PayPal
• CashApp: $ColumbusFreedomFund

Sharon Udoh is a Columbus-based, Nigerian American pianist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and bandleader who creates and performs under the name Counterfeit Madison, often with bassist Adam Hardy and drummer Seth Daily. The band’s performances are genre spanning, magnetic, dangerous, and kind. Counterfeit Madison released its second full-length album, Opposable Thumbs, to warm reviews in November 2017 with a sold-out vinyl launch at the Wex. As part of her Artist Residency Award, Udoh performed in Lars Jan’s touring theatrical adaptation of Joan Didion’s "The White Album," presented opening sets for nora chipaumire, participated in our Pages literacy program, and electrified a sold-out house at Columbus’s historic Lincoln Theatre with her homage to the Queen of Soul, Say a Little Prayer: An Aretha Franklin Celebration. 

More about Wex[EP]
As today's vocabulary has expanded to include "social distancing" and "essential businesses," the Wex has entered into a conversation with some of our favorite local artists to bring you Essential Performances. With a nod to the short-form, often experimental nature of extended-play records, the Wex[EP] series seeks to document a facet of each artist's practice and explore innovative ways of communing with one another during this rupture of routine.

Join us on Thursdays as we chart a better tomorrow with the thinkers, players, movers, and makers to whom we continue to look for joy and inspiration. If you are able, please consider supporting each artist by using the links located on this page.

View the Wex[EP] lineup