featured artists

Alô Brasil
Alô Brasil, born out of a passion for Brazilian music, is a group of Philadelphia musicians and stunningly costumed dancers. The band’s repertoire is rooted in African-influenced rhythms (samba batucada, samba reggae, pagode, maracatú, ijexá, and others) from many different regions of Brazil. More than two-thirds of the group are percussionists, so their music selections reveal a natural affinity for rhythm-based music that highlights the tremendous African influence in both traditional and popular Brazilian and American music. Alô Brasil’s artists are also dedicated teachers whose mission is to communicate the energizing joy, the diversity, and the historical and cultural significance of Brazilian music.

West Philadelphia Orchestra
The West Philadelphia Orchestra is an ensemble of fifteen of Philadelphia's most unique and experimental musicians who come from many different musical backgrounds (jazz, classical, experimental, indie, and bluegrass). The West Philadelphia Orchestra melds sounds and styles from Romania, Hungary, Serbia, and Macedonia yielding poignant melodies and frenetic, propulsive rhythms from Eastern Europe. Balkan Gypsy is a complex musical genre that has a great rhythm and beat for dancing.

Kulu Mele
Since its creation three decades ago, Kulu Mele African American Dance Ensemble has established a national reputation as a unique and dynamic performing company. Kulu Mele has built a repertoire that is an exciting blend of West African ancestral tradition and African-American inspiration. Performances include music and dance of Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, Senegal, Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, and African America. A force behind a vital African cultural renaissance in Philadelphia, the ensemble teaches and performs both new and traditional works. All dances are authentically costumed and choreographed to convey the meanings of dancing and drumming in the African societies from which these traditions come.

Delaware Steel—Harvey Price
Internationally acclaimed Delaware Steel, the premier drum ensemble from the University of Delaware now in its thirteenth year, is made up of talented students and professionals. The ensemble, under the direction of Professor Harvey Price, is dedicated to performing a wide variety of music from Mozart to jazz to pop. Delaware Steel has performed with the Israel Philharmonic under Maestro Zubin Mehta at the Kimmel Center for the 250th Anniversary of Mozart and at the Steel Band Festival in Dortmund, Germany. Delaware Steel plans to return to Europe this year to perform and teach in Sweden, Germany, and Israel. Delaware Steel provides educational workshops for students and adults throughout the world. They teach participants how to play the steel drums using theory and harmony as they learn basic music skills.

Fralinger String Band
Founded in 1914, The Fralinger String Band participates in the annual Mummers Parade in Philadelphia to welcome the New Year. The Mummers Parade is a fascinating annual tradition in Philadelphia. Mummery in America is as unique to Philadelphia as Mardi Gras is to New Orleans. Mummers String Bands are known, not only for their unique sound, but also for their elaborate costumes and performances. Brilliant materials, glitter, sequins and feathers are all combined to make a great show. The Fralinger String Band is popular in Philadelphia, but also renowned throughout the world for their unique musical and performance style. In 2008, the band made history by winning its sixth consecutive first prize in the annual Mummers Parade in Philadelphia. The Fralinger String Band has been a trailblazer within the String Band division, with many "firsts" to its credit, including the first to vocalize, to emulate brass instrument sounds with reed instruments, and to appear in a major Hollywood film. Throughout the years, the band has traveled as a goodwill ambassador for Philadelphia in parades, corporate and civic events, and concerts. Some highlights include the Chinese New Year Festival in Hong Kong, a march down Main Street USA at Disney World, the 2003 Pennsylvania Governor (Ed Rendell) Inauguration Parade, several Miss America Pageant Parades, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Their musical specialties include sing-along favorites, standards, dixieland/jazz, big band/swing, patriotic, contemporary, and Latin.

David Dye
David Dye, host and producer of nationally acclaimed World Cafe, is a longtime Philadelphia radio personality. Dye launched his distinguished broadcasting career as the host of a progressive music show on a pioneering rock station in Philadelphia. He continued to make his mark on the music scene at other Philadelphia radio stations before coming to WXPN, the public radio station of the University of Pennsylvania, in 1989. Dye was asked to conduct research which revealed a need for a new kind of musical format—one that was intelligent, diverse, and would give musical guests a showcase for their artistic expression. Based on the findings, Dye created World Cafe, a unique program of musical discovery where listeners are introduced to an eclectic blend of contemporary sounds from legendary and up-and-coming artists. World Cafe is now syndicated on more than 185 public radio stations across the United States. Every week, Dye brings out the best in interviews with internationally known artists such as Yo Yo Ma and Joni Mitchell and introduces newcomers to a half-million listeners each week.

Beau Django
Beau Django’s music is Gypsy Jazz, also known as Gypsy Swing, in the style of Django Reinhardt, the guitarist who created his own style of music by blending gypsy and jazz swing music in Paris in the 1930s. Reinhardt was noted for combining a dark, chromatic Gypsy flavor with the swing articulation of the period. In Gypsy Jazz, guitar and violin are the main solo instruments. Django Reinhardt has influenced and inspired numerous musicians including Beau Django. Since their first performance at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center in February 2005, Beau Django has been attracting attention at local Philadelphia hot spots and developed a loyal fan base.

Philly’s Best Acapella
Philly’s Best Acapella is a group of who perform doo-wop, a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music, which originated in the urban ghettos of Philadelphia and New York and became popular in the mid-1950s. Doo-wop blends the rhythm and blues, gospel, and popular black vocal group music in the post-World War II era. In the urban community, teenagers rarely had enough money to buy instruments, so they used what they had (their mouths) to create nonsense syllables from which the name of the style is derived. The mission of Philly’s Best Alcapella is to bring back this great musical form.

Rennie Harris
Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM) is a talented group of hip-hop dancers that perform and educate. Founded in 1992 by Philadelphia native Rennie Harris, RHPM was conceived with the vision for sharing an appreciation for diversity and is dedicated to preserving and disseminating hip-hop culture through workshops, classes, lecture demonstrations, dance residencies, mentoring programs and public performances. RHPM's work encompasses many rich African-American traditions of the past while simultaneously presenting the voice of a new generation and has continued to increase audience numbers each year, encourage young dancers, and share their enthusiasm for hip-hop dance theater. Interested in the human commonalities found in the marriage of movement and music from different cultures, Harris aims to show the common ground among people, groups and cultures through dance.

Blue Method
Philadelphia's The Blue Method brings together old school sounds and douses them with a modern influence of fusion, funk, and experimental rock. When on stage, the band strives to make each and every person in the crowd move to the sounds they lay down from deep thumping funk to smooth grooving soul. This band is influenced by Philadelphia Sound, a style of soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featuring sweeping strings and piercing horns.