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The evening presents a panorama of Puerto Rican instrumental and
vocal music and dance and is
suitable for all ages. This is Colón Zayas’ first appearance in
Kent. Tickets for the concert are free for students with a valid
ID.
Colón Zayas, a master of the “jíbaro” style of
Puerto Rican roots music, will
be joined by Noel Velázquez and Bill Colón Zayas
from Puerto Rico; members of
Rondalla Puerto Rico from Dayton; Orlando “El Mostro”
Santiago from Elyria;
Northeast Ohio’s Grupo Isla del
Encanto folkloric dance
troupe; and Noraliz Ruiz Caraballo (a graduate
student at Kent State University).
In September of this year, Colón (a virtuoso on the cuatro and
the tiple) was awarded a
National Heritage Fellowship,
the country’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts.
Born in the central mountain town of Orocovis , Colón Zayas has
traveled the world introducing audiences to his island’s musical
traditions. Similar to the Cuban music featured in the
documentary “Buena Vista Social Club,”
Puerto Rico’s traditional music is a blending of Spanish and
African musical elements mixed with a tropical flavor.
Typical instruments include the cuatro (a 10-string
instrument similar to a large mandolin) and the tiple (a
smaller instrument with 5 strings). Much older than the better
known salsa, música jíbara (much like the
old-time music of Appalachia)
has been kept alive for centuries by inhabitants of Puerto
Rico’s central mountains, passing songs down from generation to
generation.
The concert includes a reception at intermission featuring
traditional pastries by Cleveland ’s Lelolai Bakery and
is sponsored by the Gerald H. Read Center for International and
Intercultural Education.
Tickets for all concerts presented during the
43rd
Kent State Folk Festival
are now on sale through the Kent Stage –
(330) 677-5005 or
KentStage.org – or in person
at Woodsy’s Music and Spin-More in Kent . Band bios, ticket
information, links and more are available online at
www.WKSU.org. The
Kent State Folk Festival has a
fan page on Facebook and can be
followed on Twitter
@KentFolkFest.
The line-up for the 43rd Kent State Folk Festival (all concerts
at the Kent Stage unless otherwise noted):
Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m.: Masters of
Puerto Rican Roots Music
featuring Edwin Colón Zayas – $10 general admission tickets,
free for students with valid ID.
Friday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m.: Greg Brown
and Jorma Kaukonen – $25
reserved, $45 gold circle.
Saturday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m.: The Del
McCoury Band with Sarah Jarosz – $30 reserved, $50 gold
circle.
Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m.: Old Crow
Medicine Show – $30 general admission ($35 day of show).
Thursday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m.: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
with Family of the Year – $12 general admission.
Friday, Nov. 13 (various times): Folk Alley ‘ Round Town (35+
venues throughout Kent) featuring a special appearance by
Country Joe McDonald – FREE
Saturday, Nov. 14, noon-5 p.m.: Workshops (KSU Student Center )
– FREE
Saturday, Nov. 14, 5 to 6 p.m.: Talent Contest (KSU KIVA) – FREE
Saturday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m.: Rhythm in Shoes presents Banjo
Dance with Dala – $20 reserved, WKSU members 50% off with member
card, $5 for students with valid ID.
Festival support is provided by Kent
State University, the City of Kent, Cascade Auto Group,
Dominion East Ohio, Marc’s and Kashi, Great Lakes Brewing Co.,
Lehman’s, Continental Airlines, PARTA, Audio Technica, and
Omnova Solutions.
Editor’s Note: WKSU broadcasts NPR
& Classical Music at 89.7 FM, and is a service of Kent State
University. WKSU programming is also heard on WKRW 89.3 FM in
Wooster, WKRJ 91.5 FM in Dover/New Philadelphia, WKSV 89.1 FM in
Thompson, WNRK 90.7 in Norwalk, W298BA 107.5 FM in Boardman, and
W239AZ 95.7 FM in Ashland. The station broadcasts three HD Radio
channels – adding WKSU-2 Folk Alley and WKSU-3 The Classical
Channel to the analog broadcast schedule. The Classical Channel
can also be heard in Cleveland
at 107.3 HD-3. The WKSU web site is
www.wksu.org.
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