FREE Event! World Music Festival

Season Kick-Off! View videos on our website. Experience the diversity of World Music as you never have before. We're bringing you five ensembles from around the world - Afro-Colombian rhythms, Korean music, Moroccan jazz, Neo-Soul, and Cuban mainstream - that are sure to entertain you. Food trucks at 4:00 p.m. 12:30 PM - UW-Whitewater UNIVERSITY CENTER NORTH MALL- La Chiva Gantiva plays an explosive blend of Afro-Colombian rhythms including rock, afrobeat, and funk. (No ticket required to attend this event) 4:30 PM - YOUNG AUDITORIUM COURTYARD-Their name translates as "a rhythmic space, a pause for breath." Respiration is an essential part of music, especially in traditional Korean music. For this group, music is a way to express the essence of living, using traditional Korean instruments like the piri, saenghwang, yanggeum, and gayageum. (Ticket required) 6:00 PM - YOUNG AUDITORIUM COURTYARD-Aziz Sahmaoui & University of Gnawa. Aziz is a Moroccan poet-singer who has achieved a glorious harmony between Maghreb rock, jazz and Gnawa music. (Ticket required) 7:30 PM - YOUNG AUDITORIUM THEATRE- Ester Rada and Sierra Maestra (Two Performances, one ticket required) Ester Rada's cross-cultural sound is a deep reflection of her Israeli-born Ethiopian heritage. Critics hail her songwriting and genre-mixing sound. Sierra Maestra have been stars of Cuban music ever since the late 1970s. They have been the pioneers in reviving and now redefining this style for new generations and reintroducing it into the Cuban mainstream.