Shows
MergingArts ConversationsEdo Mor - Founder of the World Music Collider series, Co-Founder of the Barbes in the Woods festival, and Partner with Laudable Productions Edo is the founder of the World Music Collider series taking place in Western MA and oriented towards dance rather than traditional concerts and a partner with Laudable Productions, a creative agency based in Easthampton, Massachusetts in the US. Edo most recently co-founded Barbes in the Woods, a new global music festival taking place in August in rural Western MA, inspired by the unique club, Barbes, in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn, NY. 2019-08-1125 min
MergingArts ConversationsBob Francois - President and Booking Manager of Rara Bel Poze - 33rd Lowell Folk Festival Rara Bel Poze, a traditional Haitian street band that plays a mix of Haitian traditional music, gospel music, and American music with acoustic instruments along with custom Haitian horns, performing at the 33rd Lowell Folk Festival. The Lowell Folk Festival takes place each year, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, of the last full weekend in July that takes place in Downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. It is the longest running free folk festival in the United States.2019-07-2115 min
MergingArts ConversationsDawn Avery - Cellist, Composer, Vocalist, Educator - Mohawk/Sufi - Our Fire, Ajijaak, BelovedGRAMMY and NAMA nominated, Dawn has worked with musical luminaries Luciano Pavarotti, Phillip Glass, John Cage, Ustad Sultan Khan, and R. Carlos Nakai. She has toured the world playing Delta Blues with the Soldier String Quartet and Sufi Persian Funk with Sussan Deyhim, and Jazz masters Will Calhoun and Grover Washington, Jr., to Indian electronic master, Karsh Kale. She worked in musical theatre and global music performances, including The Rumi Concert with Coleman Barks. She made several acclaimed albums, including working with Guitarist Larry Mitchell. Dawn's original soundtrack and recording, Crane, is part of the Ibex...2019-01-3026 min
MergingArts ConversationsMu Qian, Company Manager of the Zhou Family Band, at the 2018 BU Global Music Festival The Zhou Family Band plays traditional wind and percussion music that has accompanied birth and death of people in Central-Eastern China for more than 600 years. Coming from Lingbi, Anhui Province, the Zhou family have been musicians for seven generations, and are bearers of a tradition that represents the this Chinese folk music with Bolin Laba, a national intangible cultural heritage of China. We spoke about the band’s origin, instrumentation, members, and performances, including the 2018 BU Global Music Festival. The BU Global Music Festival takes place in October on the campus of Bos...2018-10-0417 min
MergingArts ConversationsJose Ibanez from Orchesta El Macabeo at the 2018 BU Global Music Festival Jose is the bassist and band leader of Orchesta El Macabeo, a Puerto Rican salsa group created in 2008 in Trujillo Alto and part of their particular sound is based on the fact that the group is made up mostly of musicians who played in rock, punk, ska and reggae groups. We chatted about the band’s music, his record label Discos de Hoy, and performing globally, including the 2018 BU Global Music Festival, where the band will be performing in its 10th anniversary tour. The BU Global Music Festival takes place in October on the c...2018-10-0417 min
MergingArts ConversationsMarie Abe - Professor of Music, Musician, and Artistic Director of the BU Global Music Festival Marie is an Assistant Professor of Music in the Department of Musicology and Ethnomusicology at Boston University. Marie is the founder of BU Global Music Concert Series, aiming to bring artists steeped in folkloric, popular, and traditional music around the world, for Boston University and Boston area communities. As an active performer and improviser of the accordion, Marie performs and records with artists around the world. She performs with the Boston-based Ethiopian music collective, Debo Band. Marie serves as the Artistic Director of the BU Global Music Festival which takes place in Oct...2018-10-0418 min
MergingArts ConversationsTy Furman - Managing Director of the BU Arts Initiative on the 2018 BU Global Music Festival Ty began as the Managing Director of the BU Global Arts Initiative in 2012. Prior to that, he was the Director of the Platt Student Performing Arts House at the University of Pennsylvania and served as Managing Director of the Barrymore Award winning Vagabond Acting Troupe. We chatted about the 2018 inaugural edition of the BU Global Music Festival. The BU Global Music Festival takes place in October on the campus of Boston University, in partnership with the BU Global Arts Initiative.2018-10-0419 min
MergingArts ConversationsBrian Keigher of People of Rhythm Productions, Co-Producer of the 2018 BU Global Festival People of Rhythm Productions founded by Brian Keigher serves as a performing arts presenting organization, a record label and a creative music production company. Serving various music needs on all levels from event production to providing live, original or licensed music for ad agencies and brands. He specializes in live music event programs and music event series and presenting and providing free arts programs and arts education to the public whenever possible, with over 20 years of experience. The BU Global Music Festival takes place in October on the campus of Boston University, in p...2018-10-0415 min
MergingArts ConversationsKevin Dwyer - Executive Director of the Lowell Festival Foundation - 32nd Lowell Folk Festival Kevin Dwyer, Executive Director of the Lowell Festival Foundation, chatted with us about the Lowell Folk Festival history through the 32nd edition of the festival. The Lowell Folk Festival takes place each year, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, of the last full weekend in July, providing the best in traditional folk music around the world, artisan crafts, and international foods created and supporting area community groups. The festival is produced by The Lowell Festival Foundation along with the City of Lowell, the National Park Service, and the National Council for the Traditional Arts. 2018-07-2724 min
MergingArts ConversationsAndrew Collins Trio - Pushing Musical Boundaries in Canada - MergingArts Conversation Andrew, who is comfortable on mandolin, fiddle, guitar, mandola and mandocello – is zeroing in on the work he does with his beloved trio: fellow string guru Mike Mezzatesta, whose versatility shines through on guitar, mandolin, fiddle and mandola, and in-the-pocket James McEleney, holding it down on the bass, mandocello and vocals, together as The Andrew Collins Trio. Showcasing a popular collision of acoustic roots, folk, newgrass and jazz, not to mention a dizzying number and energetic interplay of instruments on stage, The Andrew Collins Trio appear to live by the old adage, “idle hands are t...2018-03-0819 min
MergingArts ConversationsBetsayda Machado - Voice of Venezuela - MergingArts ConversationBetsayda's voice can be heard in the secret villages just a short bus ride from Caracas, tucked deep in foliage. On the right day, and her and her band beat with the pulse and poetry of a band strolling from house to house referenced as parranda, a sound that finds earthy, moving expression in the voice. She is joined in this interview on her work by Luis Acosta, her tour manager and translator. Her recent release is available called Loe Loa: Rural Recordings Under the Mango Tree, transforming the field recordings that captured her energy under the spr...2018-03-0416 min
MergingArts ConversationsSprouts: The Tenuous Future of Grassroots Radio Under threat from large organizations like National Public Radio, college and community radio stations are losing their place on the airwaves. We heard from some of their stories and look at what the future might hold. We spoke with following folks: Jennifer Waits of Spinning Indie and Radio Survivor, Sharon Scott of WRVU Friends and Family and ARTxFM, Krissy Carlson of BSR and WRIU, Bill Parker of WRIU, and Dario Borim and Adam Lawrence of WUMD, involved in the #SaveWUMD efforts.2017-03-1629 min
MergingArts ConversationsToumani Diabate - Legendary Kora Collaborator InterviewWe were fortunate to catch up with the kora playing legend, Toumani Diabate, during a tour with his symmetric orchestra on a stop at the University of Rhode Island as part of the 10th anniversairy of the URI Pangea Roots music series back in 2008.He performs solo, with the symmetric orchestra, and on special projects like his most recent collaboration and tour with Bela Fleck.Toumani chats us up on his family of kora players, the connection of his sounds seen in American music, and blending with other types of musicians like Bjorkwhile keeping his original sound...2009-03-0212 min
MergingArts ConversationsChristopher Dawson - Athol-Royalston Director of Technology/Education ZDNetChristopher Dawson grew up in Seattle, back in the days of pre-antitrust Microsoft, coffeeshops owned by something other than Starbucks, and really loud, inarticulate music. He received a degree in Information Systems from Johns Hopkins University and began a career in health and educational information systems, with a focus on clinical trials and related statistical programming and database modeling. Christopher Dawson is currently the technology director for the Athol-Royalston, MA school district and often spends his days in a host of computing and IT issues common to most small businesses, educators, and non-profits. He also is an...2008-12-1912 minMergingArts ConversationsNancy McCoy-Wozniak - Learning Architect at Stony Brook University and the Wizard of WozNancy McCoy-Wozniak became Stony Brook University's first Learning Architect in The Faculty Center where she consults with faculty on the planning and design of courses and effective course management methods. She received her Masters of Arts in Education, specializing in Instructional Technology from the University of Akron. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Hiram College and studied television production and communication at Lorain County Community College.Nancy has worked as an instructional designer, educational technologist and online learning coordinator for over 10 years, and has been dubbed the Wizard of Woz at her previous academic pos...2008-12-1914 minMergingArts ConversationsMichael Staton - Founder of Inigral discusses Engaging the Campus CommunityMichael Staton is the Co-Founder and CEO of Inigral, Inc, a company that builds social web applications for education. Their product Schools on Facebook has generated much excitement in the press. Before starting Inigral, he was an Educational Interaction and Curriculum Designer for a San Francisco start-up and taught in the Houston ISD. He has an MA in International Development from Clark University in Worcester, MA.In our conversation, Michael discusses Learning Management Systems (LMS) and their placement and standards in university market. Learning how these compare and the heavy process of standard applications in educ...2008-12-1812 min