World-music artist Samite of Uganda and the Cornell Chorus and Glee Club, under
the direction of Scott Tucker, will perform a concert to benefit AIDS Work of
Tompkins County Saturday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m. in
Bailey Hall. The concert, titled "End the
Silence," will feature African songs and instruments.
Samite was born and raised in Uganda, where his grandfather taught him to play the traditional flute. In the 1980s Samite fled to first to Kenya and then to the United States as a political refugee. He has made his living as Uganda's unofficial musical ambassador and, for the past eight years, has made Ithaca his home. Kalimba (finger piano) melodies are the heartbeat of Samite's music, with other instruments and his own tranquil voice giving texture and shape to the songs. His third U.S. album, Silina Musango, released by Xenophile, is a joyful collection of melodic, transcultural songs featuring kalimba, flute, percussion and other African and Western instruments. Stars to Share, released last year, records Samite's return to Uganda with music of healing and restoration.
Tucker became acquainted with African music when he spent three months in Kenya in 1980 and took his high school choir on tour there in 1989.
The Cornell Chorus and Glee Club open the concert performing songs from different parts of the African continent. Samite then joins the choral ensembles to perform Ugandan songs from his childhood, accompanied on percussion by Cornell musicologist Steven Pond. Samite's trio, which includes Ema and Jeff Haynes, then takes to the stage. In addition to playing the kalimba, Samite sings and plays the marimba (wooden xylophone), litungu (seven-stringed Kenyan instrument) and various flutes. The trio and choirs come together at the end to perform the final selection, Ani Oyo.
AIDS Work of Tompkins County, the concert's beneficiary, provides counseling, case management and peer support for people infected with AIDS and HIV, and it disseminates information and education about the disease to the county in general. Twenty-five percent of AIDS Work's annual budget comes from local support through events such as this one and through contributions from individuals and businesses.
Tickets for this concert are available at the Clinton House ticket center, 273-4497 or (800) 284-8422; the ticket office in White Hall on the Cornell campus, 255-5144; the AIDS Work office, 272-409; and at the door. Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for students.
| Cornell Chronicle Front Page | | Table of Contents | | Cornell News Service Home Page |