MergingArts Conversations

MergingArts Productions

Edo Mor - Founder of the World Music Collider series, Co-Founder of the Barbes in the Woods festival, and Partner with Laudable Productions 08/11/2019

Edo Mor - Founder of the World Music Collider series, Co-Founder of the Barbes in the Woods festival, and Partner with Laudable Productions is the founder of the series taking place in Western MA and oriented towards dance rather than traditional concerts and a partner with , a creative agency based in Easthampton, Massachusetts in the US. most recently co-founded , a new global music festival taking place in August in rural Western MA, inspired by the unique club, , in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn, NY. /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/10874793

Bob Francois - President and Booking Manager of Rara Bel Poze - 33rd Lowell Folk Festival 07/21/2019

Bob Francois - President and Booking Manager of Rara Bel Poze - 33rd Lowell Folk Festival , 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 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. /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/10712198

Dawn Avery - Cellist, Composer, Vocalist, Educator - Mohawk/Sufi - Our Fire, Ajijaak, Beloved 01/30/2019

Dawn Avery - Cellist, Composer, Vocalist, Educator - Mohawk/Sufi - Our Fire, Ajijaak, Beloved and nominated, has worked with musical luminaries , , , , and . She has toured the world playing Delta Blues with the and Sufi Persian Funk with , and Jazz masters and , to Indian electronic master, . She worked in musical theatre and global music performances, including with . She made several acclaimed albums, including working with Guitarist . Dawn's original soundtrack and recording, , is part of the show , produced by . story puts forward visions from indigenous communities to reach the next generation of storytellers and change-makers. latest recording is on the Sufi theme of spiritual love, integrating its message with her Mohawk heritage, that values gratitude for all of creation, peacefulness with all our relations, and hope for generations to come. /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/8495096

Mu Qian, Company Manager of the Zhou Family Band, at the 2018 BU Global Music Festival 10/04/2018

Mu Qian, Company Manager of the Zhou Family Band, at the 2018 BU Global Music Festival 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 . The takes place in October on the campus of , in partnership with the . /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/7131547

Jose Ibanez from Orchesta El Macabeo at the 2018 BU Global Music Festival 10/04/2018

Jose Ibanez from Orchesta El Macabeo at the 2018 BU Global Music Festival is the bassist and band leader of , 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 , and performing globally, including the 2018 , where the band will be performing in its 10th anniversary tour. The takes place in October on the campus of , in partnership with the . /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/7131501

Marie Abe - Professor of Music, Musician, and Artistic Director of the BU Global Music Festival 10/04/2018

Marie Abe - Professor of Music, Musician, and Artistic Director of the BU Global Music Festival is an Assistant Professor of Music in the at . is the founder of , aiming to bring artists steeped in folkloric, popular, and traditional music around the world, for and Boston area communities. As an active performer and improviser of the accordion, performs and records with artists around the world. She performs with the Boston-based Ethiopian music collective, . serves as the Artistic Director of the which takes place in October on the campus of , in partnership with the . /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/7131397

Ty Furman - Managing Director of the BU Arts Initiative on the 2018 BU Global Music Festival 10/04/2018

Ty Furman - Managing Director of the BU Arts Initiative on the 2018 BU Global Music Festival began as the Managing Director of the in 2012. Prior to that, he was the Director of the at the and served as Managing Director of the winning . We chatted about the 2018 inaugural edition of the . The takes place in October on the campus of , in partnership with the . /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/7131215

Brian Keigher of People of Rhythm Productions, Co-Producer of the 2018 BU Global Festival 10/04/2018

Brian Keigher of People of Rhythm Productions, Co-Producer of the 2018 BU Global Festival founded by 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 takes place in October on the campus of , in partnership with the . /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/7131145

Kevin Dwyer - Executive Director of the Lowell Festival Foundation - 32nd Lowell Folk Festival 07/27/2018

Kevin Dwyer - Executive Director of the Lowell Festival Foundation - 32nd Lowell Folk Festival , Executive Director of the Lowell Festival Foundation, chatted with us about the Lowell Folk Festival history through the 32nd edition of the festival. The 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 along with the , the , and the . This interview has aired leading up to the festival in Kingston, RI on and in Boston, MA on both on 90.3 FM. /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/6857988

Andrew Collins Trio - Pushing Musical Boundaries in Canada - MergingArts Conversation 03/08/2018

Andrew Collins Trio - Pushing Musical Boundaries in Canada - MergingArts Conversation , 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 , whose versatility shines through on guitar, mandolin, fiddle and mandola, and in-the-pocket , holding it down on the bass, mandocello and vocals, together as . Showcasing a popular collision of acoustic roots, folk, newgrass and jazz, not to mention a dizzying number and energetic interplay of instruments on stage, appear to live by the old adage, “idle hands are the devil’s workshop” likely keeping them just ahead of his grasp, melding multiple genres while tastefully showcasing each of their boundaries. /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/6496203

Betsayda Machado - Voice of Venezuela - MergingArts Conversation 03/04/2018

Betsayda Machado - Voice of Venezuela - MergingArts Conversation 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 , her tour manager and translator. Her recent release is available called , transforming the field recordings that captured her energy under the spreading mango tree that gave the album its name. was selected to perform in , North America’s most important world music industry event. after this event went on tour including a performance on in Providence, RI as part of the . /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/6325899

Sprouts: The Tenuous Future of Grassroots Radio 03/16/2017

Sprouts: The Tenuous Future of Grassroots Radio Under threat from large organizations like , 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 and , Sharon Scott of and , Krissy Carlson of and , Bill Parker of , and Dario Borim and Adam Lawrence of , involved in the efforts. /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/5228735

Toumani Diabate - Legendary Kora Collaborator Interview 03/02/2009

Toumani Diabate - Legendary Kora Collaborator Interview We were fortunate to catch up with the kora playing legend, , during a tour with his on a stop at the as part of the 10th anniversairy of the back in 2008.He performs , with the , and on special projects like his most recent collaboration and tour with . chats us up on his family of players, the connection of his sounds seen in American music, and blending with other types of musicians like while keeping his original sound. We highly recommend you experience and check out his latest tour and his ! /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/1154377

Christopher Dawson - Athol-Royalston Director of Technology/Education ZDNet 12/19/2008

Christopher Dawson - Athol-Royalston Director of Technology/Education ZDNet 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 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 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 avid blog for the Education blog on ZDNet at .In our discussion, we talked about a variety of existing developing social networking sites like , , and , and their impact on education, integrated devices and the impact of messaging in a school environment, software purchasing decisions at schools, and effect and use of social networking and Web 2.0 tools on younger children in the K-5 market. /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/1154333

Nancy McCoy-Wozniak - Learning Architect at Stony Brook University and the Wizard of Woz 12/19/2008

Nancy McCoy-Wozniak - Learning Architect at Stony Brook University and the Wizard of Woz became first 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 . She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from and studied television production and communication at . has worked as an instructional designer, educational technologist and online learning coordinator for over 10 years, and has been dubbed the at her previous academic positions. She has taught online and traditional courses in computer applications, multimedia design, communication, and business. Currently, is documenting future technology trends and challenges in Distance Learning and the pedagogy of Web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies in the classroom. has shared her experience and stories with us from her work as a . She discusses her work and research on blending Web 2.0 tools into a traditional, distance, and blended settings through use of applications and devices called . She also touches upon the issues of having to follow school system standards, the uses and struggles to promote social networking communities like to creatively connect to students of all ages for lifelong learning. /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/1154348

Michael Staton - Founder of Inigral discusses Engaging the Campus Community 12/18/2008

Michael Staton - Founder of Inigral discusses Engaging the Campus Community is the Co-Founder and CEO of , a company that builds social web applications for education. Their product has generated much excitement in the press. Before starting , he was an Educational Interaction and Curriculum Designer for a San Francisco start-up and taught in the . He has an MA in International Development from in Worcester, MA.In our conversation, discusses and their placement and standards in university market. Learning how these compare and the heavy process of standard applications in education, has helped shape his product Schools on to be more social than academic. He further discusses this offering and its integration with campus social groups, alumni, and what companies need to do to engage campus communities. He expands on what his product has become and existing social networking communities’ benefits and disadvantages (, , ).You can learn more about and work at . /episode/index/show/mergingarts/id/1154356

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