OneWorldWalk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please click here for an official promotional poster (in .pdf format) for the First Annual Downtown Berkeley MusicFest at the OneWorldWalk Center.

 

 

16th Century Chamber Mass
Richard Mix, Bass
Jordan Fong, Tenor
C. Robin Lee, Countertenor

 

Date: Thursday, August 21, 2008
Time: 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105,
Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Richard Mix appears with nearly a dozen Bay Area opera companies singing a repertoire that embraces Wagner and Monteverdi as well as Scelsi and Stockhausen. A former cellist, he made his singing debut as Truelove in Berkeley Contemporary Opera's 1992 production of The Rake's Progress and went on to the Darmstaeter Sommerferienkurse fur neue Musik, to which he was re-invited with the Patenring Award in 1994 and 1996. Local premieres range from Arthur in Maxwell Davis' The Lighthouse to a rediscovered cantata by the nearly forgotten colleague of Buxtehude, Heinrich Pagendarm.

Jordan Fong was trained in violin for over 10 years, studying and playing until he received an engineering degree from the University of California, Berkeley. After a stint away from music, the lure of music drew him into singing starting in 1998. Among the groups he performed with are: Bella Musica, Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra, the University of California Alumni Chorus, and St David of Wales Parish and Festival Choirs. He has also appeared with the Pacific Boychoir and Berkeley Symphony Choral Festivals directed by Vance George.

C. Robin Lee has performed with many Bay Area sacred music, early music, and classical ensembles, singing a repertoire that ranges from Purcell and Josquin to Mozart and Reich. Robin has extensively performed and toured many years with the UC Chamber Chorus, Bay Area Classical Harmonies (B.A.C.H.), East Bay Aria Company, and local opera productions. His local roles include King Kaspar (tenor) in Amahl and the Nigh Visitors and the Spirit (countertenor) in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. He was nominated as one of the San Francisco Opera Merola Program’s Schwabacher Fifty in 2007. Robin has been singing sacred music for over 12 years, with a special penchant for chant, both monophonic and polyphonic (Gregorian, Slavonic, Byzantine, etc.).

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Northern Indian and Pakistani Music:
Classical Sufi Qawwali and Gacal Music
Sukhawat Ali Khan, Voice

 

Date: Thursday, August 21, 2008
Time: 5:15 pm - 6:15 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Sukhawat Ali Khan, son of Indian-Pakistani vocalist Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and nephew of Nazakat Ali Khan, is a Qawwali singer in the Sham Chorasi tradition, as well as a performer of North Indian and Pakistani classical music and related folk music. He began singing and playing the harmonium at age seven and has performed around the world. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where he performs in the world-fusion ensemble Shabaz (formerly the Ali Khan Band) with his sister Riffat Salamat and her husband Richard Michos.

About his heritage and music, Ali Khan has said: “Each song I do has classical thought behind it and I know how to sing it properly, but my style comes from my life too. I spent time in New York. I go to clubs. I like the hip hop beat, Latin, rave. ... There's a performing energy there that I also feel. It's the same kind of energy a good Qawwali singer has, and we can really express it freely in America.”

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Music from Senegal and Mali:
Djialy Kunda Kouyate West African Ensemble
Ousseynou Kouyate, Artistic Director

 

Date: Thursday, August 21, 2008
Time: 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

The Kouyate Twins come from a long family line of "Griots" (known as storytellers of history). The families lineage starts in Mali and expands to Senegal, West Africa where the twins were raised and learned there families history through song and dance. The duo has toured all over the globe as lead dancers with the National Ballet of Senegal and various famous African Artists such as: Yousour Ndour, Ami Koita and Baaba Maal to name a few.

The duo is promoting their new cd "Sekhou Senegal" throughout the US, parts of West Africa and most recently Paris and Germany which was a huge success. Djialy Kunda Kouyate consist of the twins and six bands members playing traditional african instruments like the Balaphone, Kora , Djembe/Sabar drum, tama (talking drum), with an added modern flare the bass, keyboard and percussion drums.

Along with performing they teach beginning to advanced dance levels in West African dance from children to adults. Their flare has amazed many audiences with spectacular high-impact dance movements and traditional african melody. The group is definitely defined as an array of cultural history and superb musical talent. More information can be found at http://djialykundakouyate.tripod.com or http://www.myspace.com/djialykundakouyate.

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Traditional Native American Music:
Pow Wow Drumming
Mike Bellanger
All Nations Drums

Date: Friday, August 22, 2008
Time: 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

 

 

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American Folk Music:
Peace through Non-Violence
Tom Rudderow, Acoustic Guitar and Voice

Date: Friday, August 22, 2008
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

 

 

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Baroque, Contemporary, and Traditional Portuguese (Fado) Music:
Christine Maria Wong, Soprano
Rick Flores, Guitar

 

Date: Friday, August 22, 2008
Time: 5:15 pm - 5:45 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

 

 

Christine Maria Wong is in her senior year as a Performing Arts: Music major, and Psychology minor at Saint Mary's College of California. She has been singing in school choirs every year since the 4th grade. She was a member of Contra Costa Children's Chorus, Miramonte High School choirs (performed in Spain with them), Diablo Valley College choirs (performed in New York with them), and now the "Nightingaels" at SMC. She is also an active singer at St. Monica Catholic Church in Moraga as a Cantor and choir member. She also a member of Saint Mary's College's Sacred Music Choir and the Cathedral Dedication Choir for the new Christ The Light Cathedral in Oakland. She is also a singer for weddings and funerals, and loves to do it very much. She recorded her first Christmas CD in winter of 2007, and has been learning from her wonderful voice teacher, Ruth Onstadt, for 7 years. She sings with hope to inspire creativity and passion in others with her own passion for singing, as well as using her voice as an instrument to comfort, heal, and bring peace into people's hearts.

Rick Flores graduated with a Masters Degree in guitar performance from Cal State Hayward and has been teaching and performing in the Bay Area for over two decades. He currently teaches at Cal Sate Stanislaus, as well as Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, and Chabot College in Hayward. He has published four books that teach various aspects of classical guitar technique. He also performs often with the well-known San Francisco based choir, Coro Hispano de San Francisco, as well as with the acclaimed Latin folk group, Cascada de Flores. He composes extensively for solo guitar and guitar ensemble, and also enjoys expanding the technical and stylistic limits of the guitar by using classical technique as a means towards combining different sounds, styles and textures in fresh, exciting ways.

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American Folk Songstress:
Amanda West
Acoustic Guitar and Voice.

Date: Friday, August 22, 2008
Time: 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Amanda has been songwriting and performing for over 10 years, playing guitar for 12, and singing since she was born. People have repeatedly noted that she has “the voice of an angel.” To accompany her singing, Amanda also occasionally plays the piano, banjo, and djembe, in addition to the guitar. She has toured the West Coast extensively, with her primary collection of performances around the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Areas.

In February 2008, she released her debut full-length studio album, “The Way to the Water”, offering 11 original tunes selected from the past decade of her songwriting. The Santa Cruz Good Times described the recording as “a bold examination, both outward and inward, that delves deep into such universal themes as trusting one's instincts in the face of expectations, the search for truth and satisfaction, and love's palpitations and travails. Sparse instrumentation, lush and intimate, focuses the attention on West's voice, gorgeous, selfless and emotive."

John Sandige of KPIG radio has remarked that Amanda writes “songs to think about,” which follows Amanda’s use of her music to explore the question: what does it mean to be human? The songwriter earned her Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology, and spent her first few years after college exploring manifestations of the human experience in Europe, Southeast Asia, Central America, and North Africa.

Amanda holds a firm belief in the power of music (and all forms of creative expression) as avenues to the experience of universal interconnectedness. She has been commissioned for work in film, and performances at weddings and other private events. Recently taking 2nd place in the Santa Cruz Songwriter’s Contest, Amanda West is an up-and-coming presence in the West-Coast acoustic music scene.

She currently lives in the beautiful seaside town of Santa Cruz, CA, where she often consults the ocean and redwood forests for wisdom and guidance along the path of life.

More information can be found at http://www.amandawestmusic.com.

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Jeremy Goodfeather and Crow Kange
Native American Folk Rock and Traditional Drumming

Date: Friday, August 22, 2008
Time: 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

About Jeremy Goodfeather and Crow Kange:
Jeremey Goodfeather and Crow Kange bring the Native American culture to the Downtown Berkeley MusicFest at the OneWorldWalk Center. They bring with them contemporary and traditional folk music from various Native American cultures. Crow Kange (percussions) is of the Lakota Sioux culture.
For a sample performance, please watch the following video clip (courtesy of Crow Kange):

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The Lady SunRise Sings Jazz

Date: Sunday, August 24, 2008
Time: 4 pm - 4:30 pm; 6 pm - 6:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Lady SunRise is an accomplished Dancer/Singer/Songwriter/Percussionist/Broadcaster/Educator. She has danced on stage with luminary artist such as Miles Davis, SunRA and Weather Report. An automobile accident sidelined her dance career and on a dare began singing Jazz in 1998. Notable artist composer/arranger/vocal coach, Jacqui Hairston, producer, Henry Delton Williams, Jazz-Great Pianist Ed Kelly & famed drummer Donald "Duck" Bailey, and the late Virginia Pernell, her mother, have been her mentors. Lady SunRise has performed with great artist such as: Pianists Red King & Dee Spencer; Saxophonists James Bailey, Leon Williams and Sonny Simmons; Guitar masters Ronnie Boykin and Pascal Bocar; Bassists Michael Jones, King WAWA and the Oneness Kingdom; and Vibraphone masters Herb Gibson and Biddy Montgomery. She was named "The Jazz Angel" by the late, great Ed Kelly and christened "Lady SunRise" by singing sensation Lisa Carr. Three Octaves! Warmth! Exuberance! Passion! Lady SunRise brings a fresh interpretation of the music to each performance! You'll love the Bright Musical Glow of Land SunRise!

More information can be found on her website by clicking here or going to www.TheLadySunriseSings.com.

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Early Music:
String Ensemble, Lute, and Harpsichord
Gailleo Project

Date: Friday, August 22, 2008
Time: 8:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Date: Sunday, August 24th, 2008
Time: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm; 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Sarah Eyerly, soprano; Amy Haltom and David Sego, Baroque violins; Heather Vorwerck, Baroque cello & viola da gamba; Loren Ludwig, viola da gamba; Gary Hess, theorbo and Baroque guitar; and Julia Ageyeva-Hess, harpsichord.

Formed in Arizona in 2002, Galileo Project is a young ensemble dedicated to promoting their vision of the inherent accessibility of early music. The group frequently collaborates with visual and performance artists and experiments with creative programming to create a stimulating new framework for early music. The ensemble has been featured by the American Bach Soloists, at the 2002 Amherst Early Music Festival and on the 2004 and 2006 Berkeley Early Music Festival fringe series, and has been named MusicSources’ Ensemble-in-Residence for the 2007-2008 season.

More information can be found at http://www.myspace.com/galileoproject.

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Traditional and Contemporary Latin American Music:
Rafael Manriquez and Ingrid Rubis

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Rafael Manríquez and Ingrid Rubis specialize in Latin American music from the past and the present. They sing and play guitar, charango and zampoñas (from Bolivia), cuatro (from Venezuela), cajón (from Peru) and bombo (from Argentina) as well as many other folk instruments. Residents of Berkeley, California, they have been performing together for over 3 years.

They present an extensive repertoire of popular and folk songs from all over Latin America, including many original compositions. They also present a joyful Mariachi repertoire for parties and private or public events.

Rafael, a singer, guitarist and composer from Chile, has been a leading exponent of Latin American song in the Bay Area for over 30 years. He has recorded 10 CDs and has toured the Americas and Europe.

Ingrid hails from Minnesota, and is an accomplished pianist, singer and enthusiastic learner of many folk instruments. She plays cajón, cuatro, congas, maracas, etc. and has played throughout California and in Chile.

More information can be found at http://www.rafaelmartinez.com/rafaelandingrid.html.

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African-American Folk Music:
Wendell Brooks, Voice

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Wendell Brooks teaches vocal music and history at Berkeley High and Ethnic Studies at CSU, Hayward. Mr. Brooks performs as a soloist in the Bay Area and has sung extensively throughout Europe.

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Russian/Eastern A Cappella:
Slavyanka Men's Quartet with
Donna Stoering, Solo Contralto

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

ABOUT THE SLAVYANKA QUARTET:

The Slavyanka Quartet consists of Donn Reinhardt - 1st Tenor, John Cotrufo - 2nd Tenor, Jeff Abbott - Baritone, and Andy Anderson - Bass. Combined they have over 75 years experience singing in Slavyanka Men's Russian Chorus. As a unity gesture they will perform music of Russia and Georgia along with music from other Eastern European countries. Any donations made at this concert will be forwarded to appropriate relief agencies to help victims from the Russia-Georgia conflict.

 

ABOUT SLAVYANKA:

The Slavyanka Male Russian Chorus regularly presents a cappella concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area and California. The repertoire is drawn mostly from Russian sources: Orthodox liturgical, Russian and other slavic folk and composed music. It includes compositions by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, and a host of less well-known purveyors of the Slavic soul in song.

Slavyanka is the name that the early Russian settlers in California gave to the river that is today known as the Russian River. The Slavyanka Male Chorus was formed in 1979 by several former members of the Yale Russian Chorus. Membership has varied from twenty to thirty men, all with other primary occupations ranging from business and the trades to law, science and medicine. The chorus toured the former Soviet Union in 1986, 1989 and 1999, where it performed for historically its largest and most appreciative audiences.

More information can be found at http://www.slavyanka.org.

While based in Italy for four years Donna Stoering was invited to coach opera singers of the La Scala and Munich opera houses, conduct choirs, and perform both as mezzo/contralto soloist and as a concert pianist on television, radio and music festivals/concert series worldwide. Based once again in the USA, she has now performed as concert soloist (and Artistic Ambassador for Listen for Life) throughout England, Wales, Turkey, Austria, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, the Netherlands, Scandanavia, South America, Germany, Turkmenistan, Panama, the Czech Republic, India, Switzerland, China, the Philippines, Russia, USA, and all of Eastern Europe.

Her favorite vocal roles are the mezzo solos in the Verdi "Requiem" and other choral works of Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven; contralto solos with choruses of the Russian/Slavonic repertoire such as Slavyanka, the alto solo in Rachmaninov "Vespers" , and the Vaughn Williams "Magnificat" for contralto soloist, chorus and orchestra. In the piano concerto repertoire, Donna especially enjoys performing the Mozart and Beethoven concerti, Gershwin's "Concerto in F", Rachmaninov No 1, "Walk within Winter" -a new work written for her by award-winning world-music composer Brent Heisinger, and the Schumann Concerto. The latter piece, in particular, has taken her around the world in recent years - Donna has felt priviledged to share Schumann's beautiful work in the historic town of Pskov, Russia; on the "Last Night of the Proms" in Hamburg Germany's glorious Brahmshalle, on a live broadcast recording with the National Radio and Television Orchestra of the Ukraine in Kiev, in a summer music festival in London, and with the National Orchestra of the Republic of Georgia in Tblisi, and in many other locations. Meanwhile she has premiered "Walk within WInter" in over 16 countries and audiences worldwide have been extremely enthusiastic about this beautiful, evocative piece.

More information can be found at http://www.donnastoering.com.

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Tuvan Throat Singing:
Overtones Demonstration
Vocal Duet, Slavyanka

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP DUET:

Have you ever used an electric toothbrush and noticed that as you move your mouth the tone changes? Have you ever heard or played a jew's (jaw) harp? Both are examples of overtones which is the subject of this workshop. Jeff Abbott and Andy Anderson are self taught overtone singers who have practiced the art over the past fifteen years. They will demonstrate some forms of overtone singing (also known generically as Tuvan Throat Singing) with explanations and will give instructions and tips on how you can do it yourself.

The Slavyanka Male Russian Chorus regularly presents a cappella concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area and California. The repertoire is drawn mostly from Russian sources: Orthodox liturgical, Russian and other slavic folk and composed music. It includes compositions by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, and a host of less well-known purveyors of the Slavic soul in song.

Slavyanka is the name that the early Russian settlers in California gave to the river that is today known as the Russian River. The Slavyanka Male Chorus was formed in 1979 by several former members of the Yale Russian Chorus. Membership has varied from twenty to thirty men, all with other primary occupations ranging from business and the trades to law, science and medicine. The chorus toured the former Soviet Union in 1986, 1989 and 1999, where it performed for historically its largest and most appreciative audiences.

More information can be found at http://www.slavyanka.org.

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Chinese Music Ensemble
China’s Spirit Music Ensemble
Garyan Wong, Christine Phung,
Kimberly Wong, Krista Gon,
and Alvina Cheung.
Guzheng Quintet.

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

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Classical Piano:
Adventures Around the World
Donna Stoering
Internationally Acclaimed Classical Pianist

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

About Donna Stoering:

Donna Stoering, concert pianist and mezzo/contalto soloist, is of Austrian-German and French descent, entered Mills College Music School in California at the age of five, studying piano and composition with Joyce Grantham, a student of Darius Milhaud. From the age of twelve she was a frequent piano performer on radio/TV stations, playing her own compositions as well as classical repertoire, and by the age of thirteen she was composing, producing, and singing in her own original musicals that were staged in the California Bay Area. Donna first sang on television at the age of fifteen, but she credits a lot of her “vocal training by osmosis” to the many times that she was asked to play the piano accompaniments for famous opera singers who were touring across the USA.

Completing her B.A. and M.A. degrees in music by the age of nineteen, she was awarded a Marshall Scholarship from the British Government in order to reside in the UK, teach at universities there, give guest-artist lectures at Oxford and Cambridge, and compose choral works for their great choirs and cathedrals. But while still on the Marshall Scholarship a concert career intervened and she began performing throughout Europe, while researching the Mozart piano concerti and writing new cadenzas for them. By the age of 23 she found herself directing musicals and opera events in London, conducting choirs, adjudicating international competitions and festivals, and teaching voice and piano lessons throughout both the USA and Europe, while touring worldwide as soloist with orchestras in piano concerti and vocal/choral works. Her first recording, an all-Debussy collection, received a Grammy Award nomination, and she has since performed/recorded live with the national orchestras of France, Panama, The Ukraine, the Republic of Georgia, and the Netherlands.

Composers worldwide continue to create new works for Donna to premiere and record. She has given master-classes in performance for the graduate students at Juilliard and other major music conservatories in Germany, Norway, Hong Kong, Turkmenistan, Britain, Russia, Philippines, Italy, Austria, and Latvia, and has been named “Artist in Residence” to Oxford University (St. Edmund Hall). The late maestro Sir Georg Solti recommended her to music festivals and record labels internationally, and due to his encouragement, she founded Listen for Life, a global music and media organization that is creating a worldwide alternative to MTV and helping the performers of all musical styles/genres in some 40+ countries at present.

More information can be found on her website by clicking here or going to www.donnastoering.com.

Please click the PLAY button below to watch a video about Donna Stoering:

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Music from Trinidad:
From Drum to Steeldrum!
Val Serrant

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Sat-Nam [I salute the Truth in you], I am from The Republic Of Trinidad And Tobago [Caribbean]. My presentation is "From Drum To Steeldrum/Steelpan." "Pan" is the national instrument of my country... having been invented there. It evolved after the banning of traditional drums ['by law'] in the 1800s by the so-called 'colonial rulers'. I pay homage to my Afrikan Ancestors by first playing Drums [Omele/Djembe, etc.], then I move forward to Steeldrums [Iron/Brake-Drums, Du(p)Dup, Tenor-Pan, etc.] I am a member of the following: 'Afrika Heartbeat' [with Sikiru Adepoju, Giovanni Hidalgo (Planet Drum), etc.] in California, www.atunbi.com; 'Parry's Pan School' [Ext.Rel./100-member youth Steelband]; 'Avotcja & Modupue' CA; and lead drummer for 'Sistas-Wit-Style'[Folk Performing Company] CA.
ASE!!!

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Sonos Handbells Solo:
Classical Selections and American Folk Songs
Ruben Mendoza

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Ruben Mendoza began ringing handbells in 1978 with the ‘Knights of the Bell Table’ at St. Genevieve Catholic Church in Los Angeles, CA. Ruben’s first solo ringing performance was in 1991 at a music conference sponsored by the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers (AGEHR). Over the years he as attend, taught and performed at several regional and national AGEHR events.

In 1997 Ruben moved the San Francisco Bay Area to join Sonos Handbell Ensemble. He has been a member of Sonos on and off for the last 10 years. Sonos highlights include, touring all over the United States, three concert tours in Japan, performing on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” radio program. Sonos also participated in performances with San Francisco Symphony Chorus, San Jose Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Napa Valley Symphony, Kronos String Quartet and San Jose Taiko.

Since 1997 Ruben directs a handbell choir at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church. As a handbell soloist Ruben performed concerts as often as possible.

Ruben is a resident of Berkeley. He can be reached at Ruben2003@hotmail.com.

More information can be found at http://sonos.org.

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Powerful, Mystical Harp with
Classical and World Music Roots:
Diana Rowan

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 8:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Harpist Diana Rowan’s playing has been described as having "unusual power and beauty." Born in Ireland, she lived on the East Coast, in Europe and the Middle East before settling in Berkeley, California. Diana’s classical training (MM Piano Performance, ongoing studies with Alice Giles) intersects with her love for Balkan, Eastern European, Sephardic and Middle Eastern music to create compelling solo and ensemble performances. Currently collaborating with her mentor Bon Singer's vocal ensemble Ya Elah (www.yaelah.com), vocal virtuosa Lily Storm (www.songbat.com), Hindustani bansuri master Deepak Ram (www.deepakram.com), and rising early music stars San Francisco Renaissance Voices (www.sfrv.org), Diana also maintains a teaching studio in Berkeley and performs frequently. Diana can be heard on several CDs and soundtracks, including her debut solo album Panta Rhei. Diana’s second album, The Bright Knowledge, will be released August 2008.

"Extremely beautiful playing...most gratifying...such fine musicianship." -San Francisco Classical Voice

“Her harp is lyrical and ethereal, yes, but also uncommonly primal and percussive, rife with her signature follow-through, where even aural decay delivers deeply felt musical nuance.” - Laura Glen Louis, author of Talking in the Dark

More information can be found at http://www.sirenharp.com.

Please click PLAY on the video below to experience the music of Diana Rowan:

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World Music Fusion:
Mahal EthnoFusion Music Group

Date: Sunday, August 24, 2008
Time: 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Led by Evelie Delfino SÃ¥les Posch who has been singing since before she could talk, Mahal brings a blissful, boundless electric energy to cross-cultural and multi-spiritual audiences. An experience that is transformative and timeless and not to be missed! Breaking into the world music scene, Mahal sings songs of world peace, justice and truth, in many languages: English, Sanskrit, Spanish, Portuguese, Native American, German, Filipino, Mahal takes you on a journey of the senses and imagination, sacred, divine and earthy. Sometimes you want to get up and dance, sometimes just sit and listen and meditate, mesmerized by the luscious, harmonies, and sometimes, you can't help singing along. Whether singing traditionals, originals, or covers, Mahal's music is very heartfelt, sweet yet strong, and can bring you to a futuristic past or cosmic present.

As of the Summer of 2007, after 30+ years, Evelie revived the Kismat-Mahal Kirtan Ensemble dedicated to sharing devotional songs and chants in Sanskrit and inviting participation in an antiphonal musical style calling all to share their own hearts' loving song and deep silence.

The ensemble may include the above players plus many more voices and sacred world music instruments.

Instrumentation
Evelie (co-founder, heartistic visionary, songwriter/arranger) ~ voice, guitar, lutes, jaw's harps, dumbek, tanpura, sruti box, bells, shakers and other percussion;
Deo Arellano (co-founder) ~ voice, silver & bamboo flutes, bronze gongs, percussion

Members include:
April Taylor ~ voice; Brook Schoenfield ~ guitars, voice; Clark Samson ~ harmonium, voice; Dana de Long ~ bamboo and silver flutes; David Allport ~ didgeridu, African drums; Eileen Hazel ~ voice, ukelele, percussion; James Bianchi ~ hand drums, voice; Jed SÃ¥les ~ bronze gongs, bamboo percussion; Jonathan Boisseau ~ tabla, voice; Kimba ~ didgeridu, voice; Lauren Renee Hotchkiss ~ electric sitar; Lynn Orlando ~ voice; Saradambe ~ voice, harmonium, mridingam; Robert Adamich ~ guitar; Steven Krivit ~ djembe and other world music instruments

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Bulgarian Village Songs and Middle Eastern Melodies:
Ya Elah
Bon Singer, Director

Date: Sunday, August 24, 2008
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

Ya Elah emerged from Jewish spirituality and now travels through multiple faiths, inspiring compassion between diverse cultures through settings of sacred and original texts. This ensemble of vocalists and instrumentalists performs the original compositions of Artistic Director Bon Singer.

Ya Elah sparkles with the influence of Bulgarian village songs and Middle Eastern melodies. The musicians have backgrounds in cantorial, folk, jazz, ethnic and classical styles. As Artistic Director, composer, arranger, and singer for Kitka for 14 years, Bon is recognized as one of the premier directors of Bulgarian choral music in the United Sates.

Ya Elah offers full concerts and workshops rich in harmony, rhythm, instrumentation and improvisation. Audience participation is encouraged - Ya Elah seeks to move and inspire its audiences, besides entertain them.

“The sound of Ya Elah is like honey in your ears: they will awaken you. Your toes will tap, your head will sway, and your soul will sing. Rush to see these magnificent sirens!” -Jueli Garfinkle, Author of Everyday Adventures for the Soul

More information can be found at http://www.yaelah.com.

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Celtic Music:
Steel String Guitar
William Coulter

Date: Sunday, August 24, 2008
Time: 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

William Coulter has been performing and recording traditional music for over 20 years. His most recent recording, The Road Home, is a critically acclaimed solo project on the Gourd Music label. In 2005 he was awarded a Grammy for his contribution to The Pink Guitar, a collection of solo guitar arrangements of the music of Henry Mancini.

Musical collaborations have been a mainstay of his career and have included many tours and recordings. Song for Our Ancestors, with the great classical guitar virtuoso Benjamin Verdery, Time to Sail and One Sweet Kiss, with Kerry-born Irish singer Eilis Kennedy, Simple Gifts - Music of the Shakers, with cellist Barry Phillips, Emma's Waltz with mountain dulcimer-guru Neal Hellman, and Celtic Requiem, with Irish singer Mary McLaughlin. Since 1997, he has acted as musical director and toured nationally with A Celtic Christmas, a popular holiday show featuring the native Irish story telling of Limerick-born Tomaseen Foley. Going back to the 80's finds William playing with Isle of Skye and Orison - followed by tours with The Coulter/Phillips Ensemble, featuring Barry and Shelley Phillips and Deby Benton Grosjean. Musical travels have taken him to places far and wide including Taiwan, England, Portugal, New York, Nova Scotia, Toronto, Oregon, Hawaii and even an occasional gig in his home town of Santa Cruz, CA.

As a teacher William maintains a classical guitar studio at the University of California at Santa Cruz, holds regular 'DADGAD Days,' and is busy in the summer at camps such as the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, The National Guitar Workshop, Chris Norman's Boxwood Flute Camp, and the Rocky Mt. Fiddle Camp. His book of transcriptions Celtic Crossing, is published by Mel Bay and includes all of the music from his Gourd Music recording of the same name. Production credits include recordings for Windham Hill Records and Gourd Music and his recordings have appeared on compilations produced by the Narada label and Hearts of Space. William earned his BA in music from UC Santa Cruz and a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory. During his classical studies he was always drawn to traditional Irish and American folk music. This led to a second Master's degree from UCSC, earned in 1994, in ethnomusicology with an emphasis on traditional Irish music, language and song.

Upcoming projects include Jefferson's Fiddle - Music from the Time of Thomas Jefferson, a second CD with Benjamin Verdery called Happy Here. and a new book of transcriptions and guitar instruction featuring his most requested arrangements.

More information can be found at http://www.williamcoulter.com.

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Jazz, New Age, and World Music:
Acoustic Fusion
Az Samad, Guitar
Carrie Jahde, Percussion

Date: Sunday, August 24, 2008
Time: 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

The Az Samad Duo combines the grooving rhythms of flamenco, funk, jazz, and world music with virtuosic fingerstyle guitar compositions, jazz standards, and even pop tunes. The result is a fun, spontaneous and fresh sound that will keep both kids and adults smiling. The duo consists of Az Samad on acoustic guitar and Carrie Jahde on drums.

Known for his innovative acoustic guitar style, Az has performed extensively in major festivals and music venues in Malaysia, Singapore, Austria, Britain as well as in the US including Boston, New York and San Francisco. Recently, he performed at Culturefest 2007, a music festival in West Virginia. Az also plays in The Shelley Leong Band and is the leader for Az & The Jazz Strings, a Boston-based String Ensemble. He is also part of the faculty for the Berklee College Of Music Summer Guitar Sessions.

More information can be found at http://www.sonicbids.com/azsamad.

Carrie Jahde is a unique drummer and composer who has performed professionally across the East Coast, West Coast, and Europe. Her recording credits include sixteen albums spanning jazz, funk, Latin, R&B, electronic, and world music styles; and in-house drumming at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts in Boston. She is an honors graduate of Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA), where she studied with Terri Lyne Carrington (Herbie Hancock), Kenwood Dennard (Jaco Pastorius, Miles Davis) and Jamey Haddad (Paul Simon). She has won multiple awards including the Eubie Blake Music Award and the John Kittredge Educational Grant for Artists. Currently, Carrie plays for several Bay Area creative music bands including PLANET LOOP, MUCHO AXE, and BAUTISTA.

More information can be found at http://www.carriejahde.com.

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Jazz, Folk Music, World Music, Ethnic Styles:
Acoustic Fusion
Shelley Leong, Voice
Az Samad, Guitar

Date: Sunday, August 24, 2008
Time: 8:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

A soothing blend of americana with jazz, world and blues, singer-songwriter Shelley Leong lifts your day with her voice and strong rhythmic guitar playing and ocean drum. She has been described as a cross between Natalie Merchant, Norah Jones and Bebel Gilberto.

Hailing from sunny Malaysia where her songs were heard on radio and television, she is now based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Shelley has also received honorable mentions from the Billboard World Songwriting Contest. She will be accompanied by fingerstyle guitarist, Az Samad.

To listen to Shelley Leong: www.myspace.com/shelleyleong.

Known for his innovative acoustic guitar style, Az has performed extensively in major festivals and music venues in Malaysia, Singapore, Austria, Britain as well as in the US including Boston, New York and San Francisco. Recently, he performed at Culturefest 2007, a music festival in West Virginia. Az also plays in The Shelley Leong Band and is the leader for Az & The Jazz Strings, a Boston-based String Ensemble. He is also part of the faculty for the Berklee College Of Music Summer Guitar Sessions.

More information can be found at http://www.sonicbids.com/azsamad.

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Iranian Santour Music:
Faraz Minooei

Date: Sunday, August 24, 2008
Time: 8:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: 1942 University Avenue Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94705
Admission: FREE

" Born in 1981 in Tehran, I began the continuous journey of self-improvement at the early age of nine, guided by the divine art of music. Since then, studying with great masters in Iran and abroad, reading books and contemplating have been my main source of knowledge of the art. This "unexplainable" gift from above has not only shaped my personality, but also defined for me how to live, why to live, and what to live for." -Faraz Minooei (2006)

Faraz Minooei (musician/composer) was born in 1981 in Tehran, capital of Iran. He started learning about Persian music when he was nine in Karaj. He has studied and performed with some of the greatest Iranian musicians of our time: Master Hossein Omoumi, Behnam Mehrabi, Mahmoud Mahmoudi, Pashang Kamkar, Master Mohammad Reza Lotfi, , Dr. Hafez Modirzadeh, Mahyaad Firouzbakht, as well as some outstanding Western classical teachers such as David Xiques. He was a Nagle scholar and the only world/Jazz music major with Persian Santour as his primary instrument at San Francisco State university where he studied Anthropology, Ethnomusicology, Persian classical Music, Western Classical music, Jazz, World Music, philosophy of Persian music, Persian music history, theory and more. Faraz is the founder of a school of Santour and Persian classical music in San Jose. He is also an instructor at the Tar School Persian Music Institute. He has presented over fifty Persian classical music concerts throughout California, playing traditional works alongside his own, original compositions. He also participates in the preservation of Iranian music by writing papers, and attending programs across the US. His work with theater includes composition and solo performance for the "The Guests," an Iranian production performed by traveling theater group, Opera Piccola. In 2005, Faraz received second place in the international “Star Musician of Iran” competition, an international contest searching for the most gifted Iranian musicians of today. (Excerpt from http://www.featherlead.com/faraz-minooei/)

More information can be found at http://www.farazminooei.com.

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