Friday: Mamadou Diabate and Percussion Mania

Join us for a special salon-style concert with virtuoso balafon artist Mamadou Diabate and Percussion Mania.

April 28, 2023 @ 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Union Church Hall

Mamadou Diabate and Percussion Mania

Last week we visited Nigeria, and now we move Northwest to Burkina Faso Africa. Join us for a special salon-style concert with virtuoso balafon artist Mamadou Diabate and Percussion Mania. This is a rare opportunity to hear world-class music in an intimate setting, or to join us in viewing online. Following the ocncert there will be an opportunity for questions and to see the instruments up close. Seating with be in the Union Hall. Space is limited and we recommend you reserve your spot online in advance. All tickets purchased for this event will help to support the Claremont Creative Center project. MAMADOU DIABATE’S PERCUSSION MANIA Mamadou Diabate: he brings the sun of West Africa on stage! Colorful as the atmosphere on a market place somewhere in West Africa, is the music of Mamadou Diabate and Percussion Mania. Kanuya – the name of the latest CD – means friendship, respect and appreciation. You can hear and feel all this with the musicians on stage. Virtuosic balafonmusic, supported by powerful African rhythms and refined by African chants. A complete scene in which the body can´t sit still anymore…. See for yourself! The master of the Balafon Mamadou Diabate lives and works in Vienna. He composes, sings and plays the balafon as well as various percussion instruments. His concert tours take him to many contries and prestigious festivals. After 12 CDs and countless concerts he has become an indispensable part of the world music scene. “He brings the sun of West Africa to our concert stage! In this few words you can rewrite the emotion and energy in Mamadou’s music. “

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Save the Date

Fiddler Morgan Toney: Mi’kmaltic (Mi’kmaq + Celtic) 

May 13, 6:30pm at Union Church – admission is by donation

Music’s an almost alchemical force to Canadian Mi’kmaq fiddler and singer Morgan Toney. From the first time he really heard music, sitting on the floor of his uncle’s house transfixed by a DVD of Phil Collins, to 2022 where he’s one of the most in-demand young fiddlers and singers in Atlantic Canada, was nominated for three East Coast Canadian Music Awards, and his debut album, First Flight, is being reissued by Indigenous record label Ishkode RecordsIn just a short amount of time, Toney’s been able to invigorate both the Atlantic music communities and Mi’kmaq communities by bringing together the fiery fiddling of Cape Breton Island with the old songs of the Mi’kmaq, one song dating back up to 500 years. He calls this fusion Mi’kmaltic (Mi’kmaq + Celtic) and it’s his way of celebrating his language and heritage. He’s honoring the elders who’ve taught him the songs and the language, and he’s taking his place on the front lines of Eastern Canada’s cultural divide.

Pop up Event Tuesday! Nigerian Music and Folk Stories with Gerald Eze

April 11, 2023 @ 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at Union Episcopal Church

Enjoy Nigerian folk stories and music in this fun pop-up event with the visiting artist. This event will be held in the hall at Union Church, space is limited so registration is suggested. Online viewing is also availble. You’ll have the opportunity to meet and ask questions of this fantastic visting artist. This event is by donation and helps to support music for both WCCMA and Gerland’s Ichoku Academy in Nigeria.

Tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/west-claremont-center-for-music-and-the-arts-10648461080 


Save the Date!

Mamadou Diabaté and band
April 28th, 7pm
Stay Tuned for full details

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Here Comes the Claremont Creative Center!

Dear Friends,

It is my great pleasure to announce that construction has begun on the Claremont Creative Center (claremontcreativecenter.org), the soon to be new home base for WCCMA. WCCMA and the Claremont Development Authority are thrilled that this long conceptualized project is underway.

Below you can check out the pre-demolition tour recorded last weekend, and a few pictures of the last 2 days of construction. Many more big changes will happen this week – so follow us on YouTube and Facebook to stay up to date with the latest progress. We’ll post more video minis of some of the progress as things progress.

Of course we are thrilled to be at this point in the project, but our Capital Campaign is still ongoing. We still need funds for 10% of the construction, as well as all the chairs, bells and whistles (literally and figuratively)! Please consider a donation of any size to help support the project. You help bring this building to vibrant life (and wait until you see this 15th Anniversary Season!). Donate Here (processing via PayPal, but doesn’t require an account) or Here to donate via check.