Starting this fall and continuing through spring 2017, the Croswell Opera House will facilitate visits by four international music ensembles through the Arts Midwest World Fest.
Arts Midwest World Fest is a program that connects small and mid-sized Midwestern communities to world cultures through week-long residencies with global performers. Each of the four ensembles will spend a week in the Adrian area, with performers sharing their cultures and music through workshops in schools and other community locations, and each week will culminate in a public performance.
The Croswell is the only organization in Michigan to have been chosen to host musicians during Arts Midwest’s 2015-17 cycle.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to experience music from all over the world,” said Croswell artistic director Jere Righter. “It’s a real honor to be chosen, and we’re looking forward to bringing these musicians to Lenawee County.”
Exact dates, times and locations will be announced closer to the groups’ visits.
The first performer, visiting from Nov. 1-8, will be Turkish vocalist Aysenur Kolivar, accompanied by her band. Kolivar was born in Cayeli, a town in the Black Sea region of northeastern Turkey. After her family moved to Izmit, she spent summers in her youth visiting her hometown to connect with the musical heritage of the Anatolian Black Sea culture.
The second group, visiting from April 10-17 will be Baladino, an ensemble from Israel. Baladino will present centuries-old melodies and sounds carried to Israel from Spain, Eastern Europe, Turkey, and Arabic countries, blending these far-ranging musical influences with authenticity and conviction.
The third group, visiting in fall 2016, will be Anda Union, from the Inner Mongolia region of China. Anda means “good friends” in Mongolian. The group performs on traditional Mongolian instruments including the horse-head fiddle, or tsuur; the three-holed flute, or maodun chaoer; and Mongolian versions of the dulcimer, zither, lute, and mouth harp. The main singing style performed by Anda Union is khoomii, commonly referred to as throat singing, a traditional type of Mongolian overtone singing, which replicates the sounds of nature.
The fourth group, visiting in spring 2017, will be Le Vent du Nord, from Quebec. This progressive folk group mixes the music of old Quebec with a fresh, modern approach, connecting their Quebecois roots to the wider world.
The Croswell will be organizing the groups’ workshops at locations throughout Lenawee County. Any organization that is interested in hosting a program can contact Jere Righter at 517-263-6868 or [email protected].
The 2015-17 Arts Midwest World Fest cycle is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, 3M Foundation, and Anime Twin Cities. Additional support is provided by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China for Anda Union, the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest for Baladino, and the Délégation du Québec à Chicago for Le Vent du Nord.
The program is also supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Indiana Arts Commission, Iowa Arts Council, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Minnesota State Arts Board, North Dakota Council on the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, South Dakota Arts Council, and Wisconsin Arts Board.
For more information about Arts Midwest World Fest, go to artsmidwestworldfest.org. For more information about the Croswell, go to croswell.org.