From May 1-5, Worlds of Music will present a series of school and community talks and performances with the Ethiopian music ensemble Qwanqwa in Buffalo, Kaycee and Sheridan.
A five piece improvisatory ensemble based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Qwanqwa is dedicated to furthering Ethiopia’s unique string traditions by expanding the range of musical ideas commonly heard in Ethiopian music. The group presents a range of vocal and instrumental music using acoustic instruments that have been electrified and are played in a mix of traditional and contemporary Ethiopian styles.
The members of Qwanqwa are: Selamnesh Zemene Taye, who sings in the azmari improvisational vocal tradition; Endres Hassen Ahmed who plays masinko, a single stringed bowed lute somewhat like a fiddle; Misale Legesse Muleta who plays kebero, a double headed goat skin hand drum; Anteneh Teklemariam Barago who plays bass krar, a five or six stringed lyre; and Kaethe Hostetter, who plays five string electric violin.
Qwanqwa appears as part of Worlds of Music’s ongoing programs offering people in northern Wyoming the opportunity to learn about and listen to various styles of music that would otherwise be unheard in our region. Additionally, Worlds of Music programs in schools and performance venues give students, teachers and community members a chance to interact with music and performers in informal and intimate ways and to learn about the guest musicians’ lives and values.
The performance by Qwanqwa aligns with Worlds of Music’s mission to address the place of music in our lives, what music means to us and why it is central to cultures around the globe and throughout time. Worlds of Music strives to bring to Wyoming some entry into the broad universe of music by presenting music that residents might otherwise never hear or play.
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