Global Sounds

 Visiting Assistant Professor Dr. Paul Yoon previews the Global Sounds performance on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. The event is free and will be hosted in the University of Richmond Greek Theater. 

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The university context is artificial, not in the sense that it is “false,” but rather because it synthetically concentrates a great diversity of artistic, scientific, literary, and philosophical brilliance in one place.  This artificiality is something to be embraced, because the “real world” rarely affords such vast opportunities for exploration or discovery in a singular locale.  The encounter with diversity and difference challenges our assumptions so that we might expand our perspective and strengthen our grasp.  The Global Sounds Concert on Saturday, April 13, is the kind of “world music” showcase one might find solely on a university campus.  At this concert you will find gathered musical ensembles representing Brazilian samba; vocal and instrumental sitar music from northern India; drumming traditions from the Ewe, who live in Ghana; the gongs of the Balinese gamelan; and taiko drums from Japan.  After the show, audience members will have a chance to hit the drums and gamelan and talk to the performers face to face.  And nearly all the performers are University of Richmond students or live in the Richmond area.  

One difference you might encounter at the Global Sounds Concert is the close relationship between dance and music.  In truth, the combination of dance and music is more common around the world than not, and it is really Western concert halls that are the exception.  Dance will be a central component to both the Indian and Balinese performances.  The costuming is vibrant, and every gesture has deep cultural significance.  The Japanese taiko drumming will also incorporate more elaborate choreography than one might be accustom to in a “music” performance.  

Some of the sounds, such as the Samba ensemble, will be more familiar and recognizable.  Others will be much more densely complex than expected.  The Ewe drumming, for instance, incorporates deeply interlocking, polymetric rhythms that are significantly more elaborate than those found in Western musics.  Still other sounds will be much more curious.  The Balinese gamelan, for example, uses an entirely unique scale system.  Also, each instrument of the gamelan comes in pairs such that one instrument of the pair is slightly out of tune with the other instrument.  When both instruments simultaneously strike the same note, this out-of-tuneness creates a “shimmering” effect that is very much a part of the Balinese aesthetic.  

The outdoor Greek Theater (weather permitting) provides a more relaxed atmosphere compared to the concert hall, and this is closer to the performance context for many of these traditions.  This is always a wonderful show, and we hope to see you there.

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Paul Yoon is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Music.  His work primarily focuses on Asian American politics and music making practices, and he received his Ph.D. from Columbia University.  Yoon is currently the director of River City Taiko.