Writer’s Choice

Second annual Festival to tell world’s stories

Tales told in music from around the world will supply the theme of the second annual World Music Fest, this year on Thursday, Sept. 15-Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Memorial Union.

Audiences can acquaint themselves with stories of African and European immigration to rural Uruguay, the Mexican singer seen in the cinematic biography “Frida” and the Brazilian who appeared in the films “City of God” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” Eastern Canada’s life Acadian, how a musician from Mali interprets the blues, an underground “semi-circus,” how Urdu and Punjabi poems inspire original music, a flamenco take on protest music, the life of a Palestinian stringed-instrument maker and the drumming and dancing rituals of the Indian Sufis.

In addition to the headlining acts, the festival also will host a community stage. Local performers include the UW–Madison World Percussion Ensemble, Kalaanjali School of Dance, West Wind and Norodno! International Dancers.

A series of conversations about world music will precede the festival. Violinist Raquel Gonzales Paraiso will discuss “Music of the Americas” on Monday, Sept. 12. Christine Garlough, UW–Madison assistant professor of communication arts, will talk on Tuesday, Sept. 13, about how cultural resources help the marginalized promote discussion of political issues. On Wednesday, Sept. 14, Robert Newton, a noted authority on Celtic music and the music of West Africa, will discuss the music of Mali. Also on Sept. 14, Henry Drewal, UW–Madison’s Evjue-Bascom Professor of African and African Diaspora Arts in the Department of Art History, will relate tales of his travels to Afro-Indian communities in conjunction with the Gallery of Design’s exhibition of Sidi quilts. Michael Kuharski, artistic director of Narodno! International Dancers, will explore “Balkan Connections Through Music” on Thursday, Sept. 15. On Friday, Sept. 16, musician, filmmaker and executive director of UW–Madison’s French masters program Ritt Dietz will talk about how world music plays out in Montreal.

The lectures, presented by the UW–Madison Division of International Studies and the International Institute, begin at noon in Memorial Union (check Today in the Union for exact location). The exception is Drewal’s talk, which will be held at noon in 206 Ingraham Hall. Each, however, is free and open to the public.

All World Music Festival events also are free and open to the public. Most performances will take place either on the Union Terrace or in the Wisconsin Union Theater. For more information on both the performances and the lectures, visit http://www.union.wisc.edu/worldmusicfest/.