UPDATE 04/24/18: Cajon player extraordinaire Mona Tavakoli has been added to the lineup!
With 15 Performances from world class artists on two stages, food trucks, vendors and more, the annual CalArts World Music And Dance Festival has expanded to bring even more fun for the whole family on the CalArts campus in Valencia, California April 27-29.
This year, Latin Percussion and the DW Music Foundation have partnered with the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) to expand the festival. For over 30 years, CalArts has hosted this free family event at its Southern California campus. Presented by The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts, this year will include a total of 15 free outdoor performances with the addition of the second LP Stage, as well as a vendor village with instrument makers, food trucks, and more. The first 100 people to arrive each day will receive a free, limited edition Chick-ita Mini Maraca from LP.
Part of CalArts’ critically acclaimed Wild Beast Concert Series, concerts will take place at both The Wild Beast concert pavilion and on the LP Stage. Over the weekend, more than 100 CalArts students will take part in the festival as an example of CalArts’ method of “learning by doing” in an effort to prepare them for careers in the music industry.
“For more than 30 years, CalArts has been hosting this unique, world-class music event,” says LP brand manager Derek Zimmerman. “We look forward to working with the students and faculty to expand this already exciting destination festival to include even more music and family friendly activities and to joining them in their commitment to keeping the World Music and Dance Festival a free, public event for all to enjoy.”
This year’s festival will celebrate the power of world music percussion. Making their festival debut are Flamenco percussionist and CalArts’s alumna Kassandra Kocoshis, CalArts faculty Latin percussionist Joey DeLeon, and Hands On’Semble headliner Randy Gloss, in addition to the exciting Taiko, West African, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban drummers, and so much more, scheduled to perform.
All CalArts World Music and Dance Festival events are free and open to the public, but RSVPs for each day are requested. For a complete and updated schedule of concerts and to RSVP, visit https://music.calarts.edu/world-music-and-dance-festival.
—Nicolas Grizzle
Photo: LP artist Kassandra Kocoshis is schedule to perform at the 2018 CalArts World Music And Dance Festival. Photo by Julie Shuford