Commencement Eve Concert to Feature Music with African Roots

The College’s 34th annual Commencement Eve Concert, with the theme "Out of Africa: Popular Music of the Americas," will be held on Friday, May 18, at 8:30 p.m. in Ben Light Gymnasium. Free and open to the public, the concert will be directed for the 14th consecutive year by Dana Wilson, the Charles A. Dana Professor of Music Theory, History, and Composition in the School of Music.

"The theme this year is in keeping with the many multi-cultural dimensions that the College is currently exploring and is a fitting continuation of the ‘Reverberations: Music of the African Diaspora’ series," Wilson says, referring to the yearlong lecture and performance series that explored the African contribution to musical expression. "The program will feature many of the musical styles that have evolved from African roots, including jazz, gospel, Caribbean, and South American popular styles."

The concert will include performances by the Ithaca College Choir, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Workshop, and Steel Band, as well as by the Amani Gospel Singers and a number of faculty soloists, including guitarist Pablo Cohen and vocalist Laurie Robinson-Keegan.

The program will employ Wilson’s "surround sound" concept, which promises a good seat anywhere in the audience. Ensembles are positioned around the gymnasium; when one group finishes, another begins, creating a continuous performance that originates from various directions.

For more information call Alex Dippold in the School of Music at 274-3717.