Showcase poised to be rich cultural experience

By Justin Field 

The Humber Bachelor of Music program is putting on its first concert of 2019 on Friday — the Humber Music World Showcase.

The music for the showcase has been put together and will be performed by a number of the programs students and faculty.

With an array of performances by talented Jazz musicians from diverse backgrounds, one of the showcase’s goals is to celebrate “the program’s musical and ethnic diversity” says Program Director, and Head of Bass, Mike Downes.

“World Music Showcase transports and immerses us in the rich musical forms and sounds of other parts of the world. Borrowing compositions, instrumentation and influences from a multitude of genres and geographic locations, the music is fused with jazz to create a vibrant musical landscape”, Downes says.

The showcase will feature music from all around the world, including music from three Humber Instructors. Ravi Naimpally is leading the Humber World Jazz Ensemble, Steve Mancuso is leading the Humber World Drum Ensemble, and Waleed Abdulhamid is leading the Humber World Jazz Lab.

There’s a lot to look forward to from these musicians, with their rich cultural and musical backgrounds, all of them specialists in their own right.

Naimpally, a student of the tabla, a traditional Indian percussion instrument, has been part of the Toronto music scene for over 20 years. Mancuso, a Toronto-born percussionist and vocalist, has been part of the Canadian music scene since the early 1990s. Abdulhamid, a multi-instrumentalist and film maker has also been active in the Canadian music scene since he came to Canada in 1992.

The students performing at the concert have been preparing since first semester, says Sanja Antic, Music Program Assistant. “Every year is a new group of students…the leaders are always the same” she went on. The concert is a yearly event, and because the ensembles are made up of new students each year, no two concerts are the same.

Tickets for the Showcase run at a cost of 15 dollars per person, or 10 dollars for seniors and students, but will be free to attend for students in the Humber Music program. The showcase will be located in the Lakeshore Auditorium, room A128. Doors open at 8:00 p.m., and tickets will be sold at the door.