Aug 30 2020
Online August 30 - Michigan Global Roots Celebration

Online August 30 - Michigan Global Roots Celebration

Presented by Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo at Online

(Virtual) Concerts in the Park
August 30, 4-5 pm

Due to the Governor’s Executive Orders 2020-160 and 2020-161 we have had to cancel our in-person events, including Concerts in the Park, for the month of August. We are pleased to announce that we will still be able to provide LIVE MUSIC virtually! 

Michigan Global Roots Celebration with An Dro, Samuel Nalangria Trio & Michigan Hiryu Daiko Japanese Taiko, presented by Carolyn Koebel will perform on Sunday, August 30 at 4 pm. The show will be LIVE STREAMED from the Jolliffe Theatre. LINK TO LIVE STREAM

Concerts in the Park is sponsored by Encore Magazine, Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, and City of Kalamazoo Parks & Recreation.

 

ARTIST INFORMATION

Carolyn Koebel:

Carolyn Koebel, who is presenting the Michigan Global Roots Celebration, has been exploring rhythm and vibration for the past thirty years. She is part dreamer, part realist…a shapeshifter who believes we can all live the life we imagine. Her early studies are rooted in the Western traditions, while the past 20 years have found her slowly traversing the globe in search of indigenous folk roots and traditional rhythmic materials from Latin & South America, West Africa, the Middle East, and all points in between.

More recently, she has begun to refocus on her solo materials, encompassing guitar, lyrics & vocals, and world percussion. For the past several years, she has immersed herself in the beautiful world of Japanese taiko drumming with Michigan Hiryu Daiko.

She divides her time between hospice music therapy, teaching and accompanying at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, and universities around the nation, and touring regionally and internationally with a variety of performance ensembles. She holds degrees of distinction in music therapy and percussion studies from Western Michigan University and Michigan State University. Much of her work focuses on rhythm-based music therapy and music for personal transformation and spiritual connection.

An Dro:

An Dro takes you on an adventure that is both personal and universal. You’ll hear traditional Irish melodies, medieval French songs, Breton dance tunes, Scandinavian refrains, Appalachian influences, Arabic rhythms, and African grooves all performed with joy and freshness. This is dance music, but it is also listening music.

An ensemble of eclectic instrumentalists who speak from the heart with uncommon synergy, An Dro’s music is a blend of traditional and original melodies from across the globe, reaching back to the past, with an eye to the present and future.

The band’s original works have a feel that is both ancient and modern with a dynamic range that takes you from crazy dance grooves to delicately orchestrated waltzes and airs to blazing improvisational assaults.

Samuel Nalangira Trio:

A native of Uganda, East Africa, Samuel Nalangira is a folk/world musician, dancer, and choreographer who has been performing since his childhood and teaching since the age of 15. He has toured across Europe, the United States, Canada, and Asia performing and leading workshops in schools, universities, festivals, and community centers.

Nalangira is a multi-instrumentalist, proficient in many traditional instruments, including the Adungu from northern Uganda, Akogo from Eastern Uganda, Endingidi, and Ngoni. He has also developed a unique approaches and personal techniques on most of these instruments, In combination with a soaring voice, his music carries a true identity of the sub-Saharan skies.

In 2018, with children from Uganda, he choreographed and led the Dance Of Hope production across the United States with featured performances at LEAF festival in North Carolina and Lotus Blossoms in Indiana.

Michigan Hiryu Daiko Japanese Taiko:

The meaning of Hiryu in Japanese: “The flying dragon is the ancestor of all creatures that emerge from the depths of the sea which then ascend to heaven to transform.”

Now retired director Esther Vandecar studied this tradition in Japan for more than seven years. She learned from KODO and Oguchi, Daihachi (father of modern taiko), among many others.

She brought back many traditional pieces ranging from 1,000 years old to modern era. Esther taught all over the USA. She ran an awesome taiko community in Arizona for 19 years and has run one in west Michigan since 2011.

Core members include Esther Vandecar, Carolyn Koebel, Jonathon Wegner & Miza Timmer. Visiting members include Renee French and Anita Laing Reidy. Carolyn now directs the Kalamazoo College and Community Taiko Ensemble, with Esther functioning as senior advisor.

 

Dates & Times

2020/08/30 - 2020/08/30

Location Info

Online