Tuesday Sept 12 – Ethiocolor! Sept 17th Newmont Military Band, and TAIKO!

Ethiocolor

September 12, 2023 @ 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at WCCMA at Union Church

Join us for Melaka Belay and Ethiocolor’s ecstatic symbiosis of dance and music, of tradition and modernity for the first stop on their US tour. Admission is sliding scale donation: pay what you can: $5-60, students free. Seat is available indoors and on the lawn (bring your own chair for outdoors). Registration for this event in advance is encouraged to ensure seating and timely check in. Livestream/on demand video will be avaialble for this concert. Ethiocolor is part of Center Stage, a public diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs with funding provided by the U.S. Government, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts in cooperation with the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations. General management is provided by Lisa Booth Management, Inc.

 About Ethiocolor: Founded in 2009 by the charismatic Melaku Belay, who has made his Fendika Cultural Center in Addis Ababa a global gathering place, Ethiocolor draws deeply from the bardic well of Ethiopia’s diverse heritage. Their revelatory practice is an ecstatic symbiosis of dance and music, of tradition and modernity. Nourished by diverse Ethiopian music and dance traditions and cross-cultural exchange, Ethiocolor presents energetic, free-spirited sounds and movements that are at once culturally specific and internationally resonant. Ethiocolor routinely shares the stage with traditional Azmaris and jazz musicians. From this dynamic musical home, Ethiocolor also builds partnerships with international musicians such as the Ex (Dutch punk band) and Large Unit (Norwegian Jazz band). The band regularly tours abroad. Its CDs include Ethiocolor (2014), Birabiro (2016), and Dildiy (upcoming). Melaku Belay received a 2015 French Medal for the Arts, a 2020 Prince Claus Award, and is a 2022 TED Fellow. Lead singer Nardos/Wude Tesfaw is the central character in Stand Up, My Beauty!, a 2021 European film exploring music and gender in Ethiopia.  Invoking ancestral blessings and contemporary experiences, Ethiocolor reveals how Ethiopian music and dance have evolved to transcend time and space. Says Melaku: “We’re here to remind audiences everywhere of our shared human desire and capacity for peace, love, joy, and justice.” They damn near brought the house down with their exuberant, dance-filled live set at the January 2017 globalFEST in New York. – ROOTS WORLD

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Newmont Military Band

September 17, 2023 @ 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM at WCCMA at Union Church

Join us for a skip back in time with the Newmont Band. Performing on period instruments, the band plays music of the 19th C as it would have originally been heard on the town greens. This will be an outdoor concert (bring a lawn chair), in the event of poor weather the concert will be held inside Union Church. All donations go to benefit the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts’ community programs.

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Claremont Taiko Club – Open rehearsal

September 26, 2023 @ 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM at WCCMA at Union Church

Join the Claremont Taiko Club for Japanese Drumming! An introduction will be held on the first practice to learn or refresh your skills! Thsi event will be held outdoors, conditions permitting, or indoors at Union Church Hall if needed. Suggested donation $25, or $50 for family (for those able) This program is funded in part by the New England States Touring prograrm of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.

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Intro to Japanese Taiko Drumming

September 26, 2023 @ 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at WCCMA at Union Church

Learn, or get a refresher, on the basics of Japanese taiko drumming with Paton Sensei of Burlington Taiko Group. Suggested donation $10 (if able). Then you are welcome to stay after and learn more along with the Claremont Taiko Club! Weather and outdoor conditions permited this event will be held outdoors, otherwise it will be held at the Union Church Hall (upstairs) This residency is funded in part by the New England States Touring prograrm of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.

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Celebrate with us!

The WCCMA and Claremont Creative Center‘s partner the The Claremont Development Authority invites you to join us in celebration:

Thursday, December 15th, 2022
3:30 – 5:00 PM
56 & 58 Opera House Square, Claremont NH 03743

The Claremont Development Authority (CDA) and partner-tenant West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts (WCCMA) have been working diligently to bring the long-held dream of converting the historic bank building at 56 Opera House Square into the new CLAREMONT CREATIVE CENTER, an intimate gathering/performance space and home for arts education in the heart of downtown Claremont.

We have much to celebrate: 
a new grant from a major national business and more! 

We’d love to get photos with all who have helped bring this project to this important juncture. Please join us for this photo opportunity and a special announcement outside 56 Opera House Square followed by holiday treats, entertainment provided by the students and artists of West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts, and project updates in the warmth of City Hall. Please join us in celebration of all you and our community have done to make this dream a reality!

RSVP HERE

To learn more about this project, please visit: claremontcreativecenter.org

Claremont Development Authority:

Candace Crawford
Derek Ferland
Reggie Greene
Andre Lefreniere
Martha Maki
Robert H. Porter
Keith Raymond
Thomas Rock
Michael Satzow

Folk Workshop and Fall Classes Announced

Folk Singing Workshop and chat with Ida Mae Specker

Monday, August 29, 2022 @ 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Online via zoom
Join us for an online folk singing workshop and chat with celebrated musician Ida Mae Specker. No experience is necessary, all ages welcome. This workshop is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.

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Full Details available at wcc-ma.org/classes

Scholarships Available: Apply Here for the 2022/23 Season