The International Music Festival is a three-day celebration of the music and culture of the diverse ethnic communities of New York City. The festival, which takes place entirely at the Jalopy Theatre features workshops as well as performances. In previous years the festival has presented performers from immigrant musical communities of New York sharing traditions as diverse as son Jarocho of Veracruz, the Duxianqin of southern China, Cumbia of Colombia, choral music of the Balkans and Caucasus mountains, klezmer of Belarus, flamenco of Granada, Arabic maqams, Serbian ballads of love and loss, and Indian classical raga.
FRIDAY JUNE 6th
Theatre Stage:
8pm: Agniveena ft. Tomal Hossain & Mir Naqibul Islam - Mir Naqibul Islam on tabla and Tomal Hussain on vocals will present the compositions of Kazi Nazrul Islam, the Bangladeshi National Poet.
9pm: Yi-Yi - NYC based Ukrainian folk trio with a twist of banjo with Zoya Shepko, Caroline Kuhn, & Katie Pawluk
10pm: Gogo Norales - Garifuna artist, composer, and performer.
Tavern Stage:
9pm: Jackson & the Janks
SATURDAY JUNE 7th
Open Streets Stage:
3:30pm: La Troupe Zetwal - a multicultural dance group performing traditional Haitian dance accompanied by live drumming and percussions.
4:30pm: Thai Life New York - founded by individuals deeply passionate about Thai arts and culture, embodying the rich heritage of the peaceful Kingdom of Thailand. We promote all facets of Thai identity through the lenses of the Thai diaspora in NY.
5:30pm: Willie Martinez & the NYC Salsa All-Stars - The All Stars is a collective ensemble of salsa band leaders who have performed with the likes of Johnny Pacheco, Ray Barretto, Johnny Colon, Willie Colon and so many more!
Theatre Stage:
7pm: Gamelan Yowana Sari - has been a performing Balinese Art Ensemble in residence at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, NYC.
8pm: CTMD presents the New York Crimean Tartar Ensemble - The only band playing authentic, traditional Crimean Tatar music in the United States, The New York Crimean Tatar Ensemble has roots in both Simferopol, Crimea and Brooklyn.
9pm: Ángel Guitierrez - Performing the traditional music & dance known as "merengue tipico," which has its origins in the northern Cibao region, of which Santiago is the largest city.
10pm: Wazumbians - Afrofusion music group from Ghana whose sounds re-echo the famous Ghanaian group Osibisa
Tavern Stage TBD
SUNDAY JUNE 8th
Sunday Programming Curated and Presented in Partnership with Brooklyn Maqam beginning at 5pm. Free, Outdoor presentation by the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica beforehand.
Open Streets Stage:
4pm: Gerreh Rhythms presented by the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica - Gerreh is a lively dance practice ritualistically performed the night after death as a way of processing loss and grief. It has profoundly impacted many of Jamaica's modern dance forms, particularly Dancehall. A special presentation organized by Maxine Alexander with support from the New York State Council on the Arts' Support for Artists Grant.
5pm: Instrumental Trio hosted by Brooklyn Maqam
5:30pm: New York Arabic Chorus - An exploration of traditional and contemporary Arabic repertoire, led by Mona Miari, Sami Abu Shumays, and John Murchison
Theatre Stage:
6:30pm: Orchestra Farha - Orchestra Farha is an acoustic-electric ensemble that focuses on 1970's Arabic music from Egypt and around the Arab world.
7:30pm: Ayman Asfour - Ayman Asfour is a violinist and composer born in Alexandria in 1979. He graduated from the Faculty of Specific Education at Alexandria University, specializing in the violin.
8:30pm: Zahra Alzubaidi - New York based singer and film actor who performs a variety of Arabic styles, with a focus on Iraqi music.
Tavern Stage TBD
This program is made possible through the Live Music Society, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Department of Transportation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, and Von Trapp Brewery.
