FUN FOR THE FAMILY!
Join us for a special benefit concert showcasing the various groups of students in Sue Ford’s Village Marimba School programs -both youth and adult- as they perform songs they have been learning, while giving back to the culture whose music has inspired and informed them. Suggested donation $5-$20 per person, collected at the door.

Proceeds from the concert will directly benefit Zimbabwean musician and teacher Barnabas Ngalande, who was one of Sue’s teachers, and provide funds to help pay the tuition for his gifted student, Spiwe Fulutuna of Zimbabwe, to continue her education at a high school that teaches music.

Barnabas Ngalande is a traditional native Zimbabwean musician and teacher, specializing in the mbira. He teaches in community schools in Zimbabwe and has been to the US a number of times as a guest teacher. Through his work in the schools, he has become the educational sponsor of three orphaned girls who play in his ensemble “Mbirauture” and he ensures they are able to continue their education, especially in music. The students in his ensemble travel throughout Zimbabwe to perform and compete, opening them up to opportunities that would not otherwise be within their reach.

An important component of Sue Ford’s music programs is fostering an appreciation for diverse styles of music from around the world coupled by an attitude of gratitude in action, that gives back to those sources of newly found inspiration. Music is a universal language. As global citizens, it is important that we remember to bring respect and kindness to the conversation. This benefit concert is an opportunity to exercise that principle.

Guest artists will include River Guerguerian and members of the Asheville Rhythm Ensemble on an array of world percussion instruments.