Agnes Nebo von Ballmoos

Agnes Nebo von Ballmoos (February 21, 1938 – March 29, 2000) was a Liberian professor of music, scholar of Liberian folk music, conductor, composer, and lawyer. Von Ballmoos contributed to the preservation of Liberian folk music by collecting and transcribing folk music representing diverse cultural traditions around the country and composing original arrangements of traditional songs. She also taught at the University of Liberia for nearly thirty years, directing the university choir. Under her leadership, the choir gave concerts at venues around the world, performing a varied repertoire which included classical pieces, spirituals, and traditional Liberian music. Early life and education Agnes Nebo von Ballmoos was born in Grand Cess in Grand Kru County. Her father was Amos S. Nebo and her mother was Grace Nah Tameh Nebo. In 1975, she completed a master’s degree in ethnomusicology from Indiana University, which she attended on a Fulbright fellowship. Shortly after completing her undergraduate degree, Agnes married Rudolph von Ballmoos, with whom she had two sons. Their younger son, DeWitt von Ballmoos, leads Liberia’s National Social Security and Welfare Corporation. Career From 1