An upcoming African Chamber Music Concert in Errington aims to showcase the lesser-known, reflective side of African music.
The Time Will Tell Arts Society presents 'African Chamber Music: Zimbabwean, South African and Ghanaian Traditions Re-imagined with Strings' at the Errington Hall on Dec. 1.
The project presents traditional African music in a chamber setting and celebrates African musical heritage, while rethinking he string quartet’s role, addressing its historical ties to colonialism and promoting a more inclusive musical landscape, according to a news release.
“People have a sort of somewhat misinformed views of what African culture is and especially African music," said Curtis Andrews, who has arranged the selection and also plays percussion. "This was a chance for us to sort of present the music in a different way."
Andrews has dedicated more than 20 years to studying and performing African music, both in North American and several African countries. He said people in North America generally expect African music to be "danceable and very loud" with a lot of drums, but these arrangements are "a little more intimate".
“They’re gonna hear instruments they’ve probably never heard before. They’ll hear songs they’ve definitely never heard before," he said, and added the performance includes plenty of cultural background for the music, as well as explanations of the deeper meanings behind the songs.
The concert's repertoire features mbira songs from Zimbabwe’s Shona people, the vocal traditions of Ghana’s Ewe community and the ancient, rare bow music of South Africa’s Xhosa culture.
The mbira is an ancient instrument with a rich history in Zimbabwe, traditionally used to connect with ancestral spirits, according to the release. Once nearly lost due to colonial suppression, the mbira is now experiencing a powerful revival.
The performers include Kurai Mubaiwa (mbira, voice, percussion) from Zimbabwe, Kofi Gbolonyo (voice, percussion) from Ghana and Dizu Plaatjies (uhadi, umrhube, percussion, voice) from South Africa.
“I had the idea to really reframe somehow the presentation of some of this music, along with my friend Kofi Gbolonyo and my friend Kurai," Andrews said. "We have a number of songs that we felt would be good for this sort of repertoire."
The concert will also feature a skilled string quartet, including Meredith Bates (viola), Peggy Lee (cello), Parmela Attariwala (viola) and Joshua Zubot (violin).
The show starts at 3 p.m. Doors open at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $30 at Shades of Green and Errington Store, and $32.50 online at https://ErringtonHall.Tickit.ca.
For this event there is no reduced price for children or youth. Home baked goodies, ginger tea and Creekmore’s coffee will be available from the kitchen.
