Reception to kick off Madison World Music Festival

Join us for the Diversity Leaders World Music Festival Reception on Thursday, Sept. 19, in the Memorial Union Main Lounge at 3 p.m.
Join us for the Diversity Leaders World Music Festival Reception on Thursday, Sept. 19, in the Memorial Union Main Lounge at 3 p.m.

The Madison World Music Festival is 10 years old!  The event will celebrate by returning to a three-day schedule, September 19-21, 2013, in the Memorial Union and at the Willy Street Fair.  The annual Diversity Leaders World Music Festival Reception will open the event on Thursday, Sept. 19, from 3 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. in the Main Lounge of the Memorial Union.

Hosted by the Office of the Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer in partnership with the Wisconsin Union Directorate, the reception is an opportunity to connect with partners and friends while meeting new ones in preparation for a robust year. There will be music, light refreshments, and beverages available as well as the opportunity to receive updates on upcoming initiatives and events.

Register today at:
https://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/OHRDCatalogPortal/Default.aspx?CK=44028

“This is just one of the ways we kick off our work in the coming year by reconnecting, greeting new faces and celebrating the sounds and rhythms of the globe,” said  Patrick Sims, Interim Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer.  “Inclusive excellence is a concept that enriches all of our lives and our partner, the Wisconsin Union Directorate, is a dedicated partner in bringing world art and culture to the Madison campus and community. I’m encouraging everyone to share our informal lakefront classroom — the Memorial Union Terrace.

As in the past nine years, the Festival offers great music from many parts of the world, workshops, and opportunities to dance, all for free. Please see Susan Kepecs’ outstanding  Gringa’s Guide to Madison World Music Festival for in-depth information about the artists and musics represented in this year’s festival, sans the latest addition.

 

World Music Festival Thursday Night featured performances:

5 p.m.              Ravikiran, Carnatic Indian musician Ravikiran

Chitravina N Ravikiran made a grand entrance into the music world at the age of two, in 1969 and has never looked back. He is one of the most visible ambassadors of Indian music and culture today. The substance and quality of Ravikiran’s artistic contribution in the versatile roles of instrumental (chitravina) virtuoso, vocalist, composer, guru and orator are held in the highest regard across the world. An acclaimed genius, Ravikiran is the innovator of the world music concept, Melharmony. Besides, Ravikiran has also contributed substantially as a scholarly author, revolutionary thinker, philanthropist and entrepreneur.

 

 

7 p.m.              Kardemimmit, 4 Finnish women playing the Kantele

Kardemimmit

Kardemimmit is a Finnish folk music group formed by four young women: Maija Pokela, Jutta Rahmel, Anna Wegelius and Leeni Wegelius. Performing together for 10 years now, they are singers and players of the kantele (the national instrument of Finland) in its 15 and 38 stringed forms. The group’s repertory consists of modern folk music mostly composed by the members themselves. The music of Kardemimmit is fresh but it’s strongly foundationed in Finnish tradition from both Eastern and Western regions featuring e.g. reki-style of singing, Perhonjoki valley kantele style, Karelian small kantele and runo-song traditions as well as archaic improvisation.

 9 p.m.              Christine Salem, Reunion Island Christine Salem

 Christine Salem’s musical voice is one of the most innovative and one of the most firmly rooted in Reunion Island. With her group Salem Tradition, she has been striving to achieve something very exciting for the past fifteen years: opening Reunion maloya to languages and forms linked to its genealogy. Maloya music, close to three-beat blues, is now emblematic of the island after having been swept under the carpet for decades because a “cafre” music i.e. considered too closely linked to African and Madagascan black slaves. Not content with having visited Madagascar and the Comoros to meet maloya’s sister cultures, Christine Salem adds touches of Swahili and Arabic to Reunion Creole. “In the beginning,” she explains, “people said they didn’t understand, that it wasn’t Reunion music. There was still a lot of ignorance about maloya, but now people accept it better.”

 

Friday, 9/20/13, Memorial Union Terrace:

5 p.m.        Baladino, Ladino-language group from Israel

7 p.m.        Krar Collective, music and dance from Ethiopia

9 p.m.        Nomadic Massive, conscious hip hop from Canada with band members from all over the world

Saturday, 9/21/13, Willy Street Fair:

1:30 p.m.   Prusinowski Trio, actually a quintet playing Polish village dance music with a touch of avant-garde improvisation.

3:30 p.m .  Dakha Brakha, modern devotional music from Ukraine

5:30 p.m.    Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang, dance music from Sierra Leone’s undisputed king of bubu music

7:30 p.m.   Cristina Pato, rousing bagpipe from Spain

Saturday, 9/21/13, Memorial Union Terrace:

9:30 p.m.    Joan Soriano, the Bachata king from the Dominican Republic

Friday, 9/27/13, The Sett at Union South

8 p.m.       Festival After Party with Red Baraat. Free! Come dance to the drum & amp; brass sounds of the stars of the 2009 festival!

Throughout, until 9/22/13

Madison World Music Festival: a Retrospective–photo exhibit by Paula A. White

3 p.m.-5 p.m. on WORT, 89’9 FM’S “On the Horizon”: Ten years of the Madison World Music Festival.

For updates and in case of rain, please check our website and the festival’s facebook page.

The festival is presented by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee in collaboration with the Willy Street Fair. Other sponsors include American Family Insurance, Anonymous Fund, Dane Arts, Evjue Foundation, UW Credit Union, LACIS, and WE Conserve. Sponsors for Baladino include Arts Midwest Touring Fund, 3M, National Endowment for the Arts, Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest. Current media sponsors are WORT, 89.9 FM and Wisconsin Public Radio. This project is supported by Dane Arts with additional funds from The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times.