Resonance: A Festival of World Music April 28, 2006

Performers in the Resonance Festival include Polish highland fiddle band Goralska Muzyka from Chicago; Slavic Soul Party!, the Gypsy Punk Balkan brass band from New York; the Nadeem Dlaikan Arabic Ensemble from Detroit; South Indian Veena player Shiva Sastry; Mamadou Diabate, the West African vocal and instrumental ensemble from Mali; Monatho Masani, the African Mbira (thumb piano) player; the Eternal Tango Quartet from Buenos Aires and New York; the Ukrainian Bandura Chorus; and Cleveland based East European band, Harmonia. [See the roster of performers for details.]

The festival kicks off Friday night, April 28 with an East European-themed concert featuring Slavic Soul Party!, Goralska Muzyka and Harmonia. A dance party with live music by all three groups follows the concert.

According to the festival's founder, James Levin, "This festival will give the people of Cleveland and all of Northeast Ohio the opportunity to hear a variety of music from all over the globe. It will also show how the use of the arts can truly revitalize a neighborhood."

Levin, founder of Cleveland Public Theatre, has been dedicated to the revitalization of the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood for more than 25 years. His recent purchase of the Romanian Orthodox Church and parish hall, the construction of a new theater by Cleveland's Near West Theater, and the opening of two new restaurants adjacent to Cleveland Public Theatre's existing performance spaces are the latest developments in Detroit Shoreway's renaissance. Levin says that the time is right to create a festival that can showcase this vibrant neighborhood.

Mike Telin and Walt Mahovlich, joint artistic directors of the festival, say, "We plan to utilize the church and parish hall as the performance venues. These two very different venues will allow the festival artists to perform in spaces that are truly suited for their music."

Mahovlich adds that hands-on workshops, cross cultural music presentations, as well as dance parties both nights will give the audience a chance to become active participants in the festival.

Official Website: http://www.detroitavenuearts.org/pages/worldmusicfest.html