The Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College will present Cimarrón from Colombia, South America on Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 7:00 PM in the Milliken Auditorium as part of the NMC Windows on the World week. In association with the week’s events the Dennos is offering two for one tickets to NNC Staff and Faculty.
Regular admission is tickets are $25 in advance, $28 at the door, $22 for Museum Members. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Museum Box office at 231-995-1553 or on line at www.dennosmuseum.org. Use the Code NMCSTAFF to access the two for one pricing.
Defying the tradition of Irish music on St. Patrick’s Day, the Dennos Museum Center is offering concert with the Smithsonian Folkways and Grammy nominated recording artists Cimarrón, a group that the BBC called “absolutely brilliant.”
Carlos Rojas Hernández, leader of group Cimarrón says, “The cimarrón is the bull that knows no rope, corral, nor iron, the steer that has not been lassoed nor branded and ranges free on the savannas and surrounding forests. That concept always struck me; nothing can be closer to the creative spirit that constitutes the essence of plains music, than that feeling of freedom.”
Los Llanos Orientales are vast plains that stretch from Colombia into Venezuela. The mestizo people that inhabit these savannahs on the great Orinoco River are descendants of Spanish settlers, African slaves and Indigenous Indians.
This is cattle rearing country where life revolves around country ranches. Music accompanies the daily working tasks such as milking and cattle drives. Most striking is the festive dance music called joropo, a fiercely virtuoso display of rippling melodies played on harp, bandola and cuatro accompanied by bass, cajon and maracas. This rapid and joyous music is sung with high pitched voices reminiscent of Andalusian gipsy roots.
Cimarrón is the most accomplished llanera group in Colombia. A seven piece led by harpist and composer Carlos Rojas, they have been working for over twenty years and have performed in Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Sweden, France, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Holland, Wales, England and the USA. These musicians are immersed in the sounds of ‘los llanos’; they seek to explore and experiment with their rich heritage whilst retaining the essence of the tradition.
Cimarrón will offer a performance for schools on Monday March 18, 2013 at 9:30AM in the Milliken Auditorium of the Dennos Museum Center. Teachers may call Jason Dake at 231-995-1029 or e-mail jdake@nmc.edu for information or to reserve tickets for the school performances
With the purchase of a ticket to this performance, concert goers are invited to visit the museum’s galleries one hour before the concert and attend a post-concert reception with the performers.
The Dennos concert season is made possible with support from the Robert T and Ruth Haidt Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Begonia Foundation with media support from WNMC 90.7, CMU Public Broadcasting and TV 29&8. Housing for our performers is provided by the Cambria Suites and Days Inn.
The Dennos Museum Center is open daily 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursdays until 8 PM, and Sundays 1-5 PM. Admission is $6.00 adults, $4.00 for children and free to museum members. For more information on the Museum and its programs, go to www.dennosmuseum.org or call 231-995-1055. The Dennos Museum Center is located at 1701 East Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49686, at the entrance to the campus of Northwestern Michigan College.