Asheville Percussion Festival To Take Place This June

Please join Asheville Rhythm for our Fifth Annual Asheville Percussion Festival on June 17-19, 2016 at the Odyssey Community School, 90 Zillicoa St. among the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains in Asheville, NC.

This year's festival will feature teaching artists from around the globe, including NYC-based drummer and composer Allison Miller, who has performed with Natalie Merchant, Ani DeFranco and voted "Rising Star Drummer"and "Top 20 Jazz Drummers" in Downbeat Magazine's acclaimed Critics Poll, Portuguese World Music Hand Pan artist Kabeção, Vicki Genfan, who has showcased as one of the world's top percussive guitarists and won the title of "Guitar Superstar" by Guitar Magazine, multi-percussionist extraordinaire David Kuckhermann, MO'RHYTHM Percussion School owner and innovator Monette Marino, West African dancer and choreographer Barakissa Coulibaly and the founder of the festival, Asheville's own rhythm ambassador River Guerguerian. Local songstress extraordinaire Kat Williams will be sharing her soulful talents as the Masters Concert vocalist. The festival will include a wide variety of hands-on workshops, such as Middle Eastern Drumming, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban Rhythms, The Art of Frame Drumming, Stylistic Approaches to the Drumset and Rhythms of Indian Dance to name a few.

The festival will also feature a series of wellness workshops sponsored by Four Seasons Compassion for Life, including Conscious Drumming, Introduction to the Role of a Music Therapist, and Music Therapy? and Songs. Other events of interest include Friday night community drumming around the fire and a Sunday morning Sound Meditation. Workshops are for all levels, beginners through advanced and those who are just curious about percussion and want to learn while having fun. The Masters Concert, featuring the musical collaborations of the visiting residency artists, will be held on Saturday June 18, 8pm at the Diana Wortham Theatre. There will be vendors throughout the weekend displaying and selling an eclectic array of percussion instruments and delicious local foods. This project is funded in part by the GRASSROOTS ARTS PROGRAM of the N.C. Arts Council, A division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, through the Asheville Area Arts Council.

Tickets are available for individual workshops, the Masters Concert, day passes or weekend passes. Ticket prices range from $20-$120.

For more information and to purchase tickets online please visit: AshevilleRhythm.org

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