Amplifier: Lotus World Music & Arts Festival

The Creole Choir Of Cuba

Born out of the songs of their Haitian slave ancestors and the unique culture that is Cuba, The Creole Choir of Cuba started making music in the difficult time of the early 1990s when Russia could no longer support the communist regime in the country.

The group, which hails from the early colonial city of Camaguey, performs traditional Haitian/Cuban music, bringing new life to old songs. After they made their first visit ever to Haiti in 1996, they added modern Haitian sounds to their repertoire.

The Creole Choir of Cuba brings exuberance and a positive energy to music, which, ironically enough, was born out of slavery and a country in decline.

Performances

• Friday, September 23, 8:45–10:00pm at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater
• Saturday, September 24, 10:30–11:45 PM at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater

Dikanda

Dikanda is a group from Szczecin, Poland that is influenced by the diverse culture that surrounds Poland and Eastern Europe. Everything from Balkan and Gypsy music to Romanian folk tunes manage to make its way into the music of Dikanda. Led by the vivacious singer and accordion player Anna Witczak, the group has wowed crowds all over Europe and the world.

Performance

• Saturday, September 24, 10:30–11:45pm at Ivy Tech Community College Tent

Orchid Ensemble

The Orchid Ensemble is a three piece ensemble with Lan Tung playing the erhu (Chinese violin), Yu-Chen Wang playing the zheng (Chinese zither) and percussionist Jonathan Bernard. The group mixes traditional and contemporary music of China, as well as contemporary music stylings, jazz and creative improvisation.

Many of their live performances have evolved to integrate music with multimedia, dance and scenographic installation.

The Orchid Ensemble continuously strives to develop an innovative musical genre based on the cultural exchange between Western and Asian musicians.