North Columbus News

The Ohio State University School of Music recently hosted the World Music Showcase, providing a platform for students from various global musical cultures to present their work. The event took place on November 25 at the Timashev Music Building and featured performances by the African Drum Ensemble, Andean Music Ensemble, Buckeye Bhairavi, the Chinese Folk Music Orchestra, and a steel band.

The showcase was produced by Liz Rockwell, a graduate teaching associate and PhD student in musicology and ethnomusicology. Rockwell was inspired to create this event after observing cultural music groups during her undergraduate studies. She aimed to revive collaborative music events that had been halted due to COVID-19.

“I did my bachelor’s degree at West Virginia University, where there is a thriving world music presence, so I was exposed to the idea of a ‘showcase’ event where multiple global music groups were featured,” Rockwell explained.

In producing the spring showcase, Rockwell collaborated with Department of Dance Professor Momar Ndiaye, who contributed dancers for the African Drumming Ensemble. Additional support came from Professor Kristopher Keith of the Latin Jazz Ensemble and Assistant Professor Michelle Wibbelsman of the Andean Music Ensemble.

Following positive feedback from the spring event, plans were made for another showcase in the autumn semester. Rockwell emphasized that their goal was to provide other campus music groups an opportunity to be featured.

“We set the date as early as possible to make sure we could get the space reserved and let the ensemble members know when it would be happening,” she noted.

A key objective for this year's World Music Showcase was interactivity. Rockwell described it as breaking down barriers between stage and audience to foster cultural appreciation.

“A world music showcase, for us, was not going to look or feel the same as an orchestra concert. The music we perform is participatory and meant to be celebrated with a community, so we wanted to choose a space that encouraged this,” she said.

Rockwell expressed satisfaction with attendance levels exceeding expectations. “From promoting the event in their networks to helping coordinate stage crew and venue needs, the help from administration, faculty and staff was tremendously appreciated,” she added.

She also highlighted Ohio State's advantage in attracting talented performers interested in cross-community collaboration. “My peers and I tell prospective and incoming students that our campus is an amazing place for collaboration, whether between different communities or across disciplines," Rockwell stated. "I think the World Music Showcase shows a space where passionate people can come together and create, perform and celebrate music.”