Nile Project exploring music, cultures, challenges of world's longest river
The Nile Project, an international collective of performers from the 11 countries within the Nile River basin, is coming to The University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall on March 1-3 for a series of concerts, free panel discussions — including one about "Managing Water Resources in Northeast Ohio and Globally" — and interactive performances.
Founded by Egyptian ethnomusicologist Mina Girgis and Ethiopian-American singer Meklit Hadero, the Nile Project makes music that combines the region’s diverse instruments, languages and traditions. The collective also aims to inspire cultural curiosity, highlight regional connections and showcase the potential of trans-boundary cooperation.
Music in many languages
The concerts feature a powerful pan-Nile percussion section that drives the collective of Ethiopian masenko and saxophone; Egyptian kawala, oud; Burundian ikembe and umuduri; Rwandan inanga; Ugandan adungu; bass guitar; six vocalists singing in 11 different languages; and dancers.
For more information, call the Thomas Hall Ticket Office at 330-972-7570 or visit UAevents.com.
All of these public events are at the Stage Door venue of Thomas Hall, with entry through the blue door on Hill Street:
One-hour Interactive Performance, Sunday, March 1, at 4 p.m.
The Nile Project musicians hail from the Nile River basin that connects 11 countries and millions of people. In this one-hour interactive performance, they will use music to inspire curiosity about and active engagement with the culture, social, and environmental challenges of the world's longest river.
Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for all students. They are available in advance from the Thomas Hall Ticket Office at 330-972-7570 and at the door as long as seats remain.
“The Nile and African Identity,” Monday, March 2, at 7 p.m.
Panel, audience discussion and musical interactions featuring Nile Project founder Mina Girgis with Nile Project musicians, UA faculty Toja Okoh, Rosa Githiora, Sheldon Wrice and Enoch Damson, students and community members. Free.
“Civic Engagement and Managing Water Resources in Northeast Ohio & Globally,” Tuesday, March 3, at 10 a.m.
Panel and audience discussion featuring moderator and UA art professors Donna Webb and Matthew Kolodziej, Nile Project founder Mina Girgis and local water experts, including Elaine Marsh, project director of Ohio Greenways and conservation director at Friends of the Crooked River. For the past six years, Marsh served as Lake Erie director on the Board of Trustees for Great Lakes United. Free.
Capstone Concert, Tuesday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m.
In this capstone concert of the Nile Project's residency at The University of Akron, a powerful percussion section drives the collective of Ethiopian masenko and saxophone; Egyptian kawala, oud; Burundian ikembe and umuduri; Rwandan inanga; Ugandan adungu; bass guitar; six vocalists singing in 11 different languages; and dancers. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $5 for all students. They are available in advance from the Thomas Hall Ticket Office at 330-972-7570 and at the door as long as seats remain.
The Nile Project events are sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with support from Thomas Hall and the Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts with additional contributions from the Ohio Arts Council, the Crane Group and General Mills Foundation.
Media contact: Cyndee Snider 330-972-5196 or cyndee@uakron.edu.