6th Annual World Music Festival: Chicago 2004

Chicago, Illinois, USA – Many of the world’s finest music artists will gather in Chicago to perform at the 6th Annual World Music Festival, beginning Friday, September 17 and continuing through Thursday, September 23. The multi-venue festival showcases both traditional and contemporary music from many of the world’s diverse cultures.

Festival events include a mix of free and ticketed concerts, live radio broadcasts and educational workshops presented in museums, parks, cultural centers, plazas, theaters, bookstores, clubs and other venues throughout Chicago.”World Music Festival celebrates Chicago’s rich cultural heritage through the music that unites us as a global community,” said Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lois Weisberg. “I invite everyone to experience the talent of these brilliant artists as they come together for this extraordinary festival.”

Sixty featured performers represent 34 countries including: Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Chile, Denmark, England, Guinea, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Mali, Mexico, Niger, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Virgin Islands, Uganda, United States, and Zimbabwe.

The 2004 festival line-up features 70 events at 28 venues around the city, including more than 40 free events. Highlights from the 2004 schedule include performances at the new Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park by the acclaimed Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, an ensemble of culturally diverse musicians; Tortoise, the Chicago avant-rock group that combines a number of musical genres to create a unique sound; and dZihan & Kamien, the Viennese duo experimenting with their own musical and ethnic backgrounds to produce a global dance groove.

Boban Markovic & the Serbian Orkestar and Esma Redzepova, both highly praised gypsy bands, will perform the first of two double bills at the Park West. The second double bill at the Park West will feature Peruvian singer Eva Ayllón and tango marvel Katie Viqueira and Deep Tango.

Other headlining performances include a concert at the Vic Theatre presented in conjunction with the Chicago Turkish Festival featuring Balik Ayhan, the most sought-after darbuka player in Turkish music, and Algerian multi-instrumentalist,

Abdelli. World music enthusiasts should not miss the extraordinary collaboration between Fulcrum Point New Music Project and Foday Musa Suso, an internationally recognized musician and a Manding jeli (griot), playing at the Athenaeum Theatre. The Athenaeum Theatre will also host a double bill showcasing the distinct sounds of Portuguese fado star Mariza and newcomer vocalist, Marta Topferova. Several concerts will also be presented in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office of Special Events as part of the 8th Annual Celtic Fest Chicago taking place Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19 in Grant Park.

World Music Festival: Chicago 2004 will culminate with the World Music Festival Open House taking place at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 23. This free event features a diverse line-up including artists such as Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman’s Musical Odyssey in Rhythm Fantasies featuring Srikant Venkatraman, fusing Indian percussion with American jazz; Ilija Ampervski Macedonian Ensemble, playing traditional Macedonian music; Betti Xiang and Yang Wei with Friends, performing Chinese classical music; Mamar Kassey,
experimenting with musical styles from Niger; Jan Yrgagy, combining the graceful sounds of the kylkyjak and the komuz to create the folkloric music of Kyrgyzstan; Mauricio Diaz “El Hueso,” performing Mexican music; and solo guitarist Paulinho Garcia.

World Music Festival: Chicago 2004 will showcase 19 Chicago debut performances such as the Warsaw Village Band, blending folk dance melodies, ballads, and rural songs with modern aesthetic conventions; Kiran Ahluwalia, singing Indian folk songs;

Phønix, performing Danish folk music using unique instrumentation; and Chilean artist Joe Vasconcellos, combining Brazilian rhythms with politically charged lyrics.

World Music Festival: Chicago 2004 is organized by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Events are presented at the Chicago Cultural Center, the Old Town School of Folk Music, the Museum of Contemporary Art, HotHouse, “Under the Picasso” at the Daley Civic Center, and various other performance spaces around the city. New venues this year include the Athenaeum, Chicago State University, Eli’s Cheesecake Festival, Instituto Cervantes, the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, Schubas, and The Vic.

World Music Festival: Chicago 2004 is made possible with generous support from the Comer Foundation, The Boeing Company, United “Chicago’s Hometown Airline,” the official airline sponsor, Borders Books & Music, Chicago Public Radio WBEZ 91.5 FM, official radio sponsor. Hotel support has been generously provided by the Days Inn Lincoln Park-North and the Essex Inn.

World Music Festival: Chicago 2004 (as of 8/27/04)

Friday, September 17th

Chicago Cultural Center
11:00am-12pm Claudia Cassidy Theater Song of the Lakes
(Live Radio Show on WLUW 88.7 FM)

12:30pm-2pm Claudia Cassidy Theater Joe Vasconcellos FREE
(Live Radio Show on WNUR 89.3 FM) Balik Ayhan

12:30pm Borders (Michigan): Abdelli FREE

12:30pm Borders (State St.): Genticorum FREE

6:00pm Millennium Park: Chicago Immigrant Orchestra FREE

7:00pm Chicago Cultural Center: Celtic Fest Kick-Off Concert: FREE
” Mary Jane Campbell
” Genticorum

7:30pm Museum of Contemporary Art: Rafael de Utrera & Company $12

*8:00pm WBEZ Studio: Roswell Rudd’s MALIcool FREE
with Mamadou Diabate

9:00pm HotHouse: Kepa Junkera $12
Joe Vasconcellos
Nelson Sosa

9:00pm The Vic: “Chicago Turkish Festival” $15
” Balik Ayhan
” Abdelli

10:00pm Sonotheque: “African Hi-Fi” $12
” DJ Ron Trent
” Miles Cleret
” Mbira Masters of Zimbabwe:
Cosmas Magaya and Ambuya Beauler Dyoko

* Denotes NOT open to the public/Live In- Studio Performance

Saturday, September 18th

12:00pm Garfield Park: 1pm Farafina Kan FREE

3 pm Mbira Masters of Zimbabwe:
Cosmas Magaya and Ambuya Beauler Dyoko

1:00pm Borders (Uptown): Rafael de Utrera & Company FREE

1:00pm: South Shore Cultural Center: Roswell Rudd’s MALIcool FREE
Afro-Folk Live with Mamadou Diabate

6:00pm: Humboldt Park BoatHouse: Farafina Kan featuring Mamady Keita FREE
Grupo Okakan

7:30pm Museum of Contemporary Art: Roswell Rudd’s MALIcool $12
with
Mamadou Diabate
Mbira Masters of Zimbabwe:
Cosmas Magaya and Ambuya Beauler Dyoko

7:30pm Old Town School of Folk Music: Jamesie and the All Stars $12
Kwame Bedidko

9:30pm HotHouse:
Susan McKeown $12
Kiran Ahluwalia

10:00pm Schubas: Rafael de Utrera & Company $10

10:00pm Martyrs: Warsaw Village Band $10
T-Rroma

10:00pm Hilton Towers/ International Ceili/Ceillidh $10
Kitty O’Shea’s Llan de Cubel & special guests

Sunday, September 19th

10:00am Rhythm Mamady Keita Djembe workshop $12

1:00pm Eli’s Cheesecake Festival: Mamadou Diabate Ensemble FREE

2:00pm Borders (Michigan): Warsaw Village Band FREE

2:00pm Clarke House: Rhythm Revolution’s FREE
Community Drum Circle (3:30pm-5pm)
Farafina Kan (2pm-3:30pm)

2:00pm Rogers Park World Music Fest: Jamesie and the All Stars FREE
Kiran Ahluwalia

3:00pm Chicago Cultural Center: Brij Bhushan Kabra& Kadar Khan FREE

3:00pm Humboldt Park Boathouse:
Kepa Junkera FREE

4:00pm Borders (Uptown): dZihan & Kamien FREE

6:00pm South Shore Cultural Center: Mamadou Diabate Ensemble FREE
AfroFolk Live Samite

6:30pm Borders (Lincoln Village): Kiran Ahluwalia FREE

7:00pm Old Town School of Folk Music:
Mari Boine $12
Harv

8:00pm HotHouse: Chicago Meets Brazil $12

8:00pm Abbey Pub: Warsaw Village Band $10
PhØnix

10:00pm Sonotheque: DJ Rikshaw $12
dZihan & Kamien

Monday, September 20th

Chicago Cultural Center
11:00am-12pm Claudia Cassidy Theater Brij Bhushan Kabra FREE
(Live Radio Show on WLUW 88.7 FM) Samite

12:30pm-2pm Claudia Cassidy Theater PhØnix FREE
(Live Radio Show on WNUR 89.3 FM) Jamesie

12:00pm Instituto Cervantes: Kepa Junkera FREE

12:30pm Borders (Michigan): Harv FREE

6:30pm Millennium Park: Tortoise FREE
dZihan & Kamien

7:00pm Chicago Cultural Center: Samite FREE

8:00pm HotHouse: Abdelli $12
Mamadou Diabate Ensemble

8:00pm Martyrs: Kieran O’Hare & Liz Knowles FREE
PhØnix

8:00pm Abbey Pub: Margot Leverett & The Klezmer Mountain Boys $8
Devil in a Woodpile

Tuesday, September 21st

Chicago Cultural Center
11:00am-12pm Claudia Cassidy Theater Ruben Rodriguez y su Conjunto FREE
(Live Radio Show on WLUW 88.7 FM) Claudia Perez Brown

12:30pm-2pm Claudia Cassidy Theater Ilija Ampevski FREE
(Live Radio Show on WNUR 89.3 FM) Esma Redzepova

12:00pm Daley Center: Margot Leverett & The Klezmer Mountain Boys FREE

12:30pm Borders (Michigan) Katie Viqueira & Deep Tango FREE

12:30pm: Borders (State): Eva Ayllon FREE

12:30pm Chicago State University: Mamar Kassey FREE

7:30pm Park West: Boban Markovic & $15
The Serbian Orkestar

Esma Redzepova with
Ansambl Teodosievski
7:30pm Athenaeum Theatre: Mariza $15
Marta Topferova Trio

8:00pm Schubas Katie Viqueira & Deep Tango $12
Ruben Rodriguez y su Conjunto

8:00pm HotHouse: Eva Ayllon $12
Mamar Kassey

9:00pm Martyrs: Kila $10
Margot Leverett & The Klezmer Mountain Boys

9:00pm: Sonotheque: Rumba: An Explosion of Latin $5
Rhythm with DJ Carlos Flores
Wednesday, September 22nd

Chicago Cultural Center
11:00am-12pm Claudia Cassidy Theater Foday Musa Suso FREE
(Live Radio Show on WLUW 88.7 FM)

12:30pm-2pm Claudia Cassidy Theater Marta Topferova Trio FREE
(Live Radio Show on WNUR 89.3 FM) Mauricio Diaz “El Hueso”

12:30pm Borders (Michigan): Boban Markovic & FREE
The Serbian Orkestar

7:00pm Chicago Cultural Center: Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman’s FREE
Musical Odyssey in Rhythm Fantasies

7:30pm Athenaeum Theatre: Fulcrum Point New Music Project $15
featuring Foday Musa Suso

7:30pm Park West: Eva Ayllon $15
Katie Viqueira & Deep Tango
Mauricio Diaz “El Hueso”

7:30pm Museum of Contemporary Art: Esma Redzepova with $12 Ansambl Teodosievski

Jan Yrgagy

8:00pm Martyrs: Banda Manzanera $12
Boban Markovic &
The Serbian Orkestar

8:30pm Old Town School of Folk Music: Claudia Perez Brown Project $5
La Peña Marta Topferova Trio

Thursday, September 23rd

Chicago Cultural Center
11:am-12pm Claudia Cassidy Theater Srikant Venkatraman FREE
(Live Radio Show on WLUW 88.7 FM)

12:30pm-2pm Claudia Cassidy Theater Jan Yrgagy FREE
(Live Radio Show on WNUR 89.3 FM)

12:30pm Borders (State): Mauricio Diaz ” El Hueso” FREE

6pm Chicago Cultural Center: “OPEN HOUSE” FREE
” Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman’s
Musical Odyssey in Rhythm Fantasies
featuring Srikant Venkatraman
” Ilija Ampevski Macedonian Ensemble
” Betti Xiang & Yang Wei with Friends
” Mamar Kassey
” Jan Yrgagy
” Mauricio Diaz “El Hueso”
” Paulinho Garcia
” SURPRISE SET