Wisconsin Union Theater Announces Tentative Lineup of Madison World Music Fest 2009

The sixth annual Madison World Music Festival in Wisconsin will be held from September 16-19, 2009, in the Memorial Union and at the Willy Street Fair. Again this year, all events are free and open to the public.

As in past years, the festival brings extraordinary artists from around the world for free performances, workshops, lectures, and other outreach events. Defying the economic gloom, Madison World Music Fest offers many opportunities to dance and party as well as enjoy traditional music and marching bands from around the world. Student and community artists will be presented in the Globally Local segment on Wednesday, September 16, following the Mandala Construction Opening Ceremony by the Tibetan Monks of the Loseling Monastery.

The tentative schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, 9/16/09, Memorial Union:

Mystical Arts of Tibet: Mandala Construction Opening Ceremony, Main Lounge, 4 pm
Locally Global Student and Community Showcase, 5:30 pm

Thursday, 9/17/09, Memorial Union:

Red Baraat Festival! India, 6 pm
Kepa Junkera, Basque Country (Spain), 8:15 pm
Kusun Ensemble, Ghana, 10:15

Friday, 9/18/09, Memorial Union:

Mucca Pazza, 3 pm,
Orchestre de Tetouan, Morocco, 4:15 pm
Mucca Pazza, 6:15 pm
Minyeshu, Ethiopia, 8 pm
Parno Graszt, Hungary, 10 pm

Saturday, 9/19/09, Willy St. Festival:

Kepa Junkera, Basque Country (Spain), 2:30 pm
Hanggai and Mamer, Mongolia/China, 4:00 pm
Kepa Junkera, Basque Country (Spain), 6:15 pm
Los de Abajo, Mexico, 7:45 pm

Memorial Union:
DJ Shantel, Germany, 10 pm

Patrons who wish to can donate online or send donations to: Wisconsin Union Theater / MWMF Fund, 800 Langdon Street, Madison, WI 53706. With diminishing funding, donations are needed and appreciated more than ever.

Additional workshops and events will be announced later at the festival’s web site, http://uniontheater.wisc.edu/worldmusicfest.

The festival is presented by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Theater Committee.

Other confirmed sponsors include The Anonymous Fund, Evjue Foundation, Madison Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, UW Credit Union, and Wisconsin Arts Board.

Sponsors for the Wisconsin Union’s summer music program, which includes the Madison World Music Festival are: Ale Asylum Brewing, Bud Light, Budweiser, Capital Brewing Company, Goose Island, Green Mountain Beverage, Miller Coors, Pabst Brewing Company, Spaten North American, Sprecher Brewing Company, Stella Artois, and Summit Brewing Company.

Current UW-Madison, community and media sponsors include Capital City Hues, CREECA, LACIS, Madison Folk Dance Club, UW System Institute on Race & Ethnicity, and WORT, 89.9 FM.