This bilingual multi-instrumentalist, cellist and singer has been deeply influenced by traditional Creole, Cajun and Haitian music, as well as by American jazz and folk.
Born in New York City to Haitian emigrant parents, Leyla McCalla was immersed in a meld of cultures from an early age. As a teenager, she relocated to Ghana for two years before returning to the States to study cello performance and chamber music at NYU. Armed with Bach’s Cello Suites, Leyla left New York to play cello on the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans.
She rose to fame as cellist of the Grammy-Award-winning African-American string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops before leaving the group in 2013 to pursue her solo career.
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COVID Policy: Masks and physical distancing will be required for all in-person events. Please check our website for any updates to these policies.
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This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Tickets are $20, $15 for seniors, $5 for ages 25 and under, with a "pay-what-you-can" option. All seats are general admission. Tickets are available for purchase on the Connecting Chords Music Festival website and at the door.
Phone: 269-382-2910
Email: director@mfsm.us
2021/10/21 - 2021/10/21
First Baptist Church
315 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007