CONCERT OF COLORS Announced This Year on Detroit Public TV

Beloved world music and diversity festival goes virtual, featuring a four-day broadcast special, featuring the Don Was All-Star Revue and legendary global performers Watch Wednesday through Saturday evenings on Detroit Public TV (56.1), at DPTV.org and on the DPTV Facebook page The Concert of Colors Forum to be livestreamed Tuesday at DPTV.org and on the DPTV Facebook page, honoring Ismael Ahmed who founded the festival

Since its beginnings in 1993, the annual Concert of Colors has established itself as the largest free world music and diversity festival in the Midwest and a cherished staple on Detroit's cultural calendar.

This year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 28th annual festival will be offered as a four-day broadcast musical bonanza on Detroit Public TV this week, which will also be livestreamed on the DPTV's website and Facebook page.

It will be highlighted by the Don Was All-Star Revue with a tribute to the great Detroit bluesman, John Lee Hooker, on Saturday night. As usual, Don Was will be joined on stage by a remarkable collection of Motor City musical stalwarts.

Other standouts this year include:

• The world jazz of Alina Morr & Fuego
• Leafar Village with a centennial tribute to Charlie Parker
• Sean Blackman, Detroit jazz and rock meets Balkan style
• Digging Roots, Indigenous Roots Rock
• Xiao Dong Wei, aka Madame XD, erhu master fusing garage band and classical charisma
• The Last Gasp Collective - word, hip-hop, R&B, jazz, soul and gospel
• Also a tribute to Detroit jazz radio legend, Ed Love

The four-day concert was recorded by Detroit Public TV in the auditorium of the Detroit Institute of Arts, using all appropriate safety precautions.

All these performances can be viewed on Detroit Public TV (56.1), at DPTV.org and on its Facebook page at these times:

• Wednesday, 7-9 p.m.
• Thursday, 9-11 p.m.
• Friday, 9-11 p.m.
• Saturday, 9-11 p.m.

The festival will also be carried on WDET-FM, public radio in Detroit, but on a slightly different schedule. Check out the WDET website.

For much more information on the performers, the festival and other related activities, visit www.concertofcolors.com.

On Tuesday, setting the stage for the festival, is the annual Concert of Colors Forum on Community, Culture & Race, presented by the Arab American National Museum. It is a dynamic gathering of artists, activists and advocates who use performance and dialogue as a tool for advocacy and community building.

This year's keynote speaker is Ismael Ahmed, the founder of the Concert of Colors, a talented musician himself, radio host, former executive director of ACCESS and, as you can tell, a community treasure. He will be joined virtually by speakers and performing artists.

You can view the forum on Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. at DPTV.org and the DPTV Facebook page. Breaking bread together is a forum tradition, and the hosts invite you to tune in during dinner.

Finally, on Sunday night at 8 p.m., the Concert of Colors and the Science Gallery Detroit present techno innovators, John Collins and Mark Flash of Underground Resistance, which can also be viewed at DPTV.org.

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