Compiled by Julie McCay Turner
Libana, an internationally renowned women’s world music ensemble and intentional creative community began its 34th performance season with a tour of Morocco last June, according to Bedford resident Linda Ugelow, a musician and dancer with the group.
On November 8 and 9 Libana will present a special evening of global music, dance, story and song when they share recollections and experiences celebrating the astonishing creative power and beauty of the women and peoples of Morocco. The concerts will also celebrate the release of the group’s newest CD, Instrument of Peace, an album dedicated to the ongoing path of spirit inside and out.
Concerts next weekend in Bedford and Cambridge
The concert on Friday, November 8, will take place at First Parish on the Common in Bedford, 75 The Great Road, beginning at 7:30 pm. Advance tickets are available on line at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/469056. On Saturday, November 9, the group will perform in the Harvard Epworth Church, 1555 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge at 7:30 pm, with advance tickets available on line at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/469104
About Libana’s Moroccan Adventure
“Libana’s foray to North Africa brought the honor of being the first musicians to represent the US at the Tarab Tanger World Music Festival in Tangier,” said Ugelow. Ugelow’s family accompanied her on the trip.
Practicing their belief in the power of cultural diplomacy, “One song, one rhythm, one dance at a time,” Libana traversed the stunning and ever changing landscape of Morocco meeting musicians, dancers, healers and cooks for more than two weeks before their historic concert.
The travelers met Gnaoua musicians in Essaouira on the Atlantic Coast, experienced “the profound energy of Sufi singers and percussionists in a tiled living room in Fes,” danced and sang spontaneously with women at an argan oil collective outside Marrakesh, and participated in an ancient indigenous rain ritual in an oasis village on the Sahara desert.
About Libana
Libana is an internationally renowned global music ensemble that leads its audiences on a profound and scintillating journey through the music and dance of Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America, Asia, and beyond. Now in its fourth decade, Libana weaves stunning vocal expertise, powerfully exuberant dance, and a dazzling, diverse array of instruments to express the creativity and spirit of women worldwide. Their performances, workshops, recordings, and publications have inspired the repertoire of performing ensembles and the formation of countless song circles worldwide. Libana is available for concerts, workshops, and master classes.
The group has recorded several CDs: Instrument of Peace (2013); Turning (2009); Out of This World (2004); Night Passage (2000); Borderland (1993); Fire Within (1990); Sojourns (1989); A Circle is Cast (1986); and Handed Down (1985). Libana also appears on two compilations: Welcoming Children into the World (1999) and Lullaby (1994)
Members of Libana include LISA BOSLEY – vocals, bendir, charango, claves, clarinet, darabuka, kompang, kontra, riqq, zils; ALLISON COLEMAN – vocals, bendir, bombo, cabasa, charango, flute, kompang, mazhar, riqq, dance ; MARYTHA PAFFRATH – vocals, bells, bendir, bombo, djembe, dumbek, frame drums, kompang, naqqara, pakawaj, recorders, riqq, shekere, tapan/tabl, dancer; SUSAN ROBBINS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR – vocals, accordion, bendir, chonguri, guitar, hammered dulcimer, ipu, kompang, oud, psaltery, saz, shekere, tambura, zils; LINDA UGELOW – vocals, bell, bendir, darabuka, double bass, kompang, riqq, shekere, dancer; and CHERYL WEBER – vocals, bendir, kompang, riqq, shekere, woodblock.
For more information
To learn more about Libana, visit facebook.com/Libanamusic or libana.com. To explore booking dates for concert series, performing arts organizations, educational institutions, spiritual centers, festivals, conferences, and individual celebrations contact [email protected].
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