In 1985, His Eminence Joseph DIANGIENDA KUNTIMA, then Head of the Kimbanguist Church instructed his son DIANGEINDA WABASOLELE Armand, « DWA », to create a religious music group made up of male and female Christians who had a background in either a Kimbanguist chorus group or in instrumental music. Assisted by his brother DIANGIENDA MUKOKO Samuel, the young Armand established in successive stages the Kimbanguist Symphonic Orchestra “ OSK”, which held its inaugural concert in Kinshasa, Dec 3, 1994 at the Palais du people, home of the Congolese Parliament, under the baton of Philippe NKANZA a renown Congolese musician.

Six months had been enough to give the orchestra amateurs musicians adequate training in solfeggio in singing and in playing all the instruments of classical music : brass, wood, strings and percussions. The teachers themselves were self taught, misters NDUKU NGOMA and Albert MATUBANZA.

PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORCHESTRA (2005)

In December 2004, the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra celebrated ten years of existence and has become a large group of two hundred members male and female vocalists and instrumentalists, from 6 to 40 years of age.
Without a formal schooling in music, the self discipline of the choir and musicians enables them to perform any classical work.
On a regular basis, news members are recruited and trained; this explains the steady increase of members each year.
The Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra is a first in sub-Sahara Africa, in that, all its members are presently black Africans with the majority being Congolese. The OSK is not however a racist organization. Its doors remain open to Kimbanguists of every race.

THE MAESTRO “DWA” AND HIS WORK

Born in Kinshasa, January 12, 1964, the composer Diangienda Wabasolele Armand, a Congolese, is the creator, conductor and President Director  General of the OSK. Grandson of Simon Kimbangu, the founder of the Kimbanguist Church, and sixth son of His Eminence Joseph Diangienda Kuntima who headed the Kimbanguist Church  from 1959 until his death in 1992.
In Belgium and the USA, DWA successfully finished his studies of professional airplane pilot qualified to flying to instruments. His love of music began in childhood; at five years of age, he was already playing piano. Today, he has mastered a large number of instruments both classical and modern.

As a young adult, while he was piloting planes for a Congolese air transport company ( SCIBE AIRLIFT) DWA taught himself solfeggio to the point of mastering classical music composition. He has brought the orchestra to such a level that its renown has surpassed the limits of Africa. More and more, he is building bridges between his orchestra and others abroad.
His work  is  varied, flourishing,  and enriching itself regularly with new compositions.

Sunday november 16, 2003, DWA publically directed, Souffle de Verite, (Breath of Truth), his first symphony ; the very first composed by a Black in sub-Sahara Africa. This took place during a grand concert in the Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa,  in front of 3000 people including Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers, Diplomats, Notables in Congo, University professors, renown musicians.

That  concert was sponsored by the Honorable Olivier KAMITATU, President of the National Assembly of Congo, Renier NIJSKENS, Ambassador of the Belgian Kingdom, the Congolese Minister of Culture, madam Pierrette GUENE.

DWA sees to it that each one of his compotion, retains, a sap  of African culture.This is evident in hymns of the kimbanguist church to which he gives an expression of classical music, such as  : Kwa Yeno, Ebombelo, Vo Yisu, O Muana Nzambi, le Fils bien aimé.
With dedication, he continues to compose new symphonies, oratorios, concerto and so on.

For his work, DWA has been given awards and medals :

-    the  Diploma of Composer of classical music bestowed on him, November 16, 2003 by the Institut National des Arts, INA, the only music school of university level in Congo Kinshasa; this was presented on the occasion of the public debut of the symphony Souffle de Vérité.
-    the Diplome de Mérite, given January 16, 2005 by the Organization of Congole Newspapers Editors
-    the Medal of Merit, given December 4, 2004 by the Communauté d’Agglomeration d’Evry – Centre Essone (France) on the occasion of the concert of the 10th anniversary of the Kimbanguist Symphony  Orchestra.

CONCERTS
    To date, the most memorable concerts by the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra are :

-    the inaugural concert on 3 December 1994 at the Palais du Peuple
-    the premiere of Souffle de Vérité at the Palais du Peuple, 16 November 2003
-    the 10th anniversary concert on at Boboto College Kinshasa, on 4th december 2004
-    the concert for the Festival of the King of Belgium, 15 & 16 November 2002 at Cathedral Sainte Anne.
-    the 80th anniversary of Kimbangism, 6 April 2001 at Nkamba
-    the concert in honour  of the musicians of the Chamber Orchestra of Tubingen, Germany, on tour in Kinshasa in April 2003.

In the future, the KSO plans to do tours in orther countries,  including Europe and America, should financial sponsors found.

COOPERATION

    The KSO has struggled to develop relations and interchange with other Philharmonic ensemble throughout the world, for exemple, the Oakland Symphony Orchestra in California, the Chamber Orchestra of Tubingen, in Germany,  the Symphony  Orcherstra of the Communauté d’Agglomeration d’Evry-Centre  Essone in France.  Their respective Maestros, Michael Morgan,  Emilsson, Manual Tato were hosts of the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra.

In the course of their  brief visit to Kinshasa in April 2003, the musicians of the Chamber Orchestra of Tubingen played as a combined orchestra with KSO. A delegation of the Communauté d’Agglomeration Evry-Centre Essone composed of 3  Members of the Parliament of the Region of  Ile de France (Paris) the Honorables Jacques Brochot, Manuel Tato and Philippe Pascot visited the Kimbanguist Sympony Orchestra in Kinshasa in December 2004, accompanied by Mr. Patrice Kuendolo,  deputy  representative in France of KSO. This delegation signed a Memorandum of Understanding  for technical   cooperation to the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra. The provisions of that  Agreement include the training of manpower,  the donation of  scores  of  classical music compositions, the distribution of musical works by Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra and the copyrights.
Foreign Embassies in Kinshasa have developped  a  fruitfill and  amiable cooperation with KSO who has been visited by several  Embassadors.
At the request of Mr. Renier Nijkens, Embassador of Belgium in Kinshasa, the KSO gave two concerts, 15 st of the King of Belgium.

At the same location Mrs. Doretta Loschelder, Germany Embassador in Kinshasa sponsored the concert given by KSO, 25 September 2004 with the participation of Violinist  Guenot Biehler, who had come from Germany for the occasion. A few days earlier,  the Embassador  gave the  KSO, scores of 3 Violin Concertos by  J.S. Bach, Mozart and Beethoven.

For the 10 years, there has been a strong cooperation between KSO and the Institut National des Arts (INA) of Congo Kinshasa.  KSO  hosts senior students from INA to complete their research before defending their dissertation.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Without any foreign financial assistance, the KSO has equipped itself with :

a set of musical instruments
-    a fleet of transportation wehicles.