WMI Plus At Home Library
WMI Plus At Home experiences bring music from around the world into the comfort of your home. Renowned artists share their lives, instruments, and stories from their personal environments, bringing an intimacy and uniqueness to each event. These talks are led by fellow musicians, journalists, and ethnomusicologists.
WMI Plus At Home is supported by world music lovers like you. We thank you for donating!
Adam Robinson and Ralph Samuelson joined us for this WMI Plus At Home session where they introduced the Japanese flute, shakuhachi. Adam and Ralph spoke about the history of the instrument and the different contexts it was used in as it developed. They discussed how traditional music is taught, and how the shakuhachi has grown into a modern globally connected instrument. During their talk, Ralph and Adam played musical examples of shakuhachi music, performed a traditional duet, “Shika no Tōne” (the distant cry of the deer), and answered questions from attendees.
Sardinian guitarist, composer, vocalist, and instrument innovator Paolo Angeli recently joined us for a WMI Plus At Home conversation with fellow guitarist and founder and director of the Alternative Guitar Summit Joel Harrison. Paolo treated us to some traditional music and took us through the decades-long process of crafting his unique instrument based on a prepared Sardinian guitar with levers and pedals designed to add percussion and additional instrumentation to his repertoire, transforming him into a one-man band.
Martha Redbone and Claudia Acuña have been working on a very special project together since the pandemic with discussions of the music diaspora of the Americas through indigeneity, TransAtlantic slavery, and grappling with the history of colonization and the ways that culture continues through maternal lines. The two friends joined us for a special WMI Plus At Home session where they continued those vital conversations and shared their passions for music and food.
A renowned New York composer and instrumentalist, Kaoru Watanabe blends Western and Eastern music. He studied Black American jazz at the Manhattan School of Music and spent a decade in Japan with KODO, collaborating with elite Japanese artists. Since returning to New York, he has worked with notable figures like Mikhail Baryshnikov and Yo-Yo Ma. His compositions have been showcased globally. In 2024, he launched the Bloodlines Interwoven Festival, supported by the Mellon Foundation, and conversed with fellow Silkroad artist harpist Maeve Gilchrist.
Jen Shyu is a versatile composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist. Born in Peoria, Illinois to Taiwanese and East Timorese immigrant parents, her instruments include piano, violin, Taiwanese moon lute, Chinese erhu, Japanese biwa, and Korean gayageum. For this WMI Plus At Home, she was joined by Rachel Cooper, Director of Performing Arts and Culture as Diplomacy Initiatives at the Asia Society, as the two mapped Jen’s musical journey.
Argentinian vocalist, composer, and producer Sofía Rei joined us for a WMI Plus At Home event to discuss ‘Folk and Futurism’ – a project that explores the convergence of traditional Latin American folk culture with contemporary genres and digital technologies. Joining Sofía in conversation was Mireya Ramos and Daymé Arocena, two of the guest artists to perform as part of the debut of the project on Oct 10 at (le) poisson rouge as part of WMI’s Changemakers Series, as well as the project’s producer/co-musical director JC Maillard.
Ariel Ninas has been playing the hurdy-gurdy since 2001, incorporating a unique style based on traditional Galician music. His work blends elements of contemporary avant-garde aesthetics, including electronic, droning, and free improvisation. In this session, he demonstrated the medieval instrument, shared music, and chatted with journalist and fellow hurdy-gurdy enthusiast Devon Léger.
WMI PLUS At Home events are supported by a grant from Con Edison and by world music lovers like you. We thank you!
Thandiswa Mazwai is one of the most influential vocalists in South Africa and a self-described “rebel singer”. She began her career in 1996 with music groups Jack Knife and Bongo Maffin, one of the pioneering bands of the dance music genre Kwaito, a musical and cultural movement that originated in Soweto in the late 1980s celebrating the new freedom of post-Apartheid South Africa. She talked with Farima Kone Kito, a Burkinabe writer, researcher, and cultural producer, currently based in New York City, about her latest album “Sankofa” (a Ghanaian word meaning ‘to go back and fetch what has been left behind’). Recorded in Soweto, Dakar, and New York City, the album features samples of field recordings, notable speeches, and indigenous instruments.
Pura Fé, an Indigenous activist, singer-songwriter, and storyteller of Tuscarora/Taino descent, is known for her soulful voice. She founded the Native Women’s a cappella trio, Ulali, empowering Native women’s music. Pura Fé explores Native Blues, where she is known for her lap-steel slide guitar recordings. Her music has been featured in many films including the award-winning documentary “RUMBLE: The Indians that Rocked the World” and she engages in social justice events as a speaker and musician. Gwendolen Cates is an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker, photographer, and author.
Ahead of his performance at the New York Guitar Festival, now in its 25th year, producer, guitarist, and composer Yonatan Gat (Stone Tapes) sat down with the Host of WNYC’s New Sounds, John Schaefer, joined by two artists who will also perform as a part of Night Two of the festival – Daryl Black Eagle Jamieson of the Eastern Medicine Singers and Gnawa master Maalem Hassan Benjaafar. Rounding out the Night Two lineup will be Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Mamady Kouyaté, and Laraaji. John Schaefer will host both nights – June 14 and 15, 2024 at Kaufman Music Center in Manhattan.
Mattias Thedens and Devon Léger
Mattias Thedens is a Norwegian arranger, researcher, bandleader, dancer, and master fiddler. Born into a musical family, Thedens was raised on both American and Norwegian folk-music from an early age. As a fiddler, he’s been performing both old-time American and Norwegian folk music since childhood, and is fluent with both the standard fiddle and Norway’s unique Hardingfele. He was joined in conversation by music journalist and Acadian fiddle player Devon Léger.
Israel Fernández and Ned Sublette
Israel Fernández is one of the most celebrated young flamenco performers in Spain today. He has released five albums including Amor and his most recent project Pura Sangre, both of which were nominated for a Latin Grammy Award (Best Flamenco Album). El País has declared him “the voice that sings the present and the future of flamenco”. He was joined by award-winning music writer and author Ned Sublette (in Spanish and English).
Haleh Liza Gafori and Shahzad Ismaily
Haleh Liza Gafori is a New York City-born translator, vocalist, poet, and composer of Persian descent. Her book, “Gold: Poems by Rumi,” was published in 2022, and she created a cross-media performance piece based on the book. Shahzad Ismaily is a Brooklyn-based musician, composer, and engineer who has worked with many avant-garde artists and composers and collaborated with Arooj Aftab and Vijay Iyer on the Love In Exile project, which WMI presented at Town Hall in 2023.
Mehrnam Rastegari and Niloufar Shiri
Mehrnam Rastegari is an Iranian musician, film score composer, singer, violinist, and master kamanchech player. She is joined in conversation with Niloufar Shiri, fellow kamancheh player, composer, and improviser.
Yasser Tejeda and Ed Morales
Yasser Tejeda is an award-winning Dominican composer, guitarist, vocalist, and producer. He is joined in conversation with Ed Morales, an author and journalist who writes for The Nation, The New York Times, and CNN Opinions.
Silent Tears with Payadora Tango Ensemble, Lenka Lichtenberg and Dan Rosenberg
Silent Tears is an award-winning program based on poems, testimonies and writings of women who were victims of horrific atrocities during the Holocaust. Music performed by the Payadora Tango Ensemble with moderation from Lenka Lichtenberg and Dan Rosenberg.
Sofía Rei and Julyssa Lopez
Singer/Songwriter Sofía Rei explores folk and futurism through the intersection of the traditions of her native Argentina and the vibrant music scene of her life in NYC. She is joined in conversation by journalist and Senior Music Editor at Rolling Stone Julyssa Lopez.
Brenton Jordan (McIntosh County Shouters) and Historian Joseph Opala
This special WMI Plus At Home celebrating Black History Month focuses on The McIntosh County Shouters – one of the only remaining keepers of “the ring shout”, the oldest African American music and movement tradition with its roots in West Africa that persisted among enslaved people and lived on in African American communities after emancipation. The conversation features “stickman” and storyteller Brenton Jordan and historian and anthropologist Joseph Opala.
Hamid Rahmanian, Creator of ‘Song of the North’ with Score Composer Loga Ramin Torkian
Hamid Rahmanian is a New York–based Iranian multi-disciplinary artist, 2014 Guggenheim Fellow, and creator of ‘Song of the North’, a mesmerizing large-scale, cinematic performance combining shadow puppetry and projected animation, adapted from the Shahnameh (Persian Book of Kings). Joining Hamid in conversation is Loga Ramin Torkian (NIYAZ) who composed the original score for the production.
Moroccan Gnawa Artist Samir LanGus w/ DJ Omar Aena
This WMI Plus At Home focuses ecstatic music and dance traditions from North Africa, the Middle East, and beyond. Samir LanGus is a Grammy Award-nominated gnawa musician, born and raised in Morocco, who adds his own contemporary spin to the traditional spiritual trance music. Omar Aena is of Iraqi descent and is a DJ, community organizer, and founder of Dance Lab, a Brooklyn-based collective that explores dance as a form of somatic healing.
Malian Songstress Oumou Sangaré w/ Farima Kone Kito
Ahead of her Apollo Theater debut on October 29, 2022 and following the release of her critically-acclaimed album “Timbuktu”, iconic Malian artist and GRAMMY Award winner Oumou Sangaré sat down with Farima Kone Kito for an At Home conversation where they chatted about the significance of being on the stage of the legendary Apollo Theater for the first time, her impact on fans across multiple generations, and whether Wassoulou is the real Wakanda. (In French and English).
Lollise and Domenica Fossati (Underground System)
This WMI PLUS At Home features two artists from our new live series Let’s Dance: Lollise is a musician, visual artist, and fashion designer from Botswana, currently living in NYC. She will join Ata Kak, the enigmatic West African dance music icon, at Elsewhere in Brooklyn on Sept 30. She is joined by her friend and former band mate Domenica Fossati of Underground System, who will be at Nublu with Locobeach and Cheo Pardo Nov. 10.
Composer, Percussionist, and Author Adam Rudolph with Journalist Piotr Orlov
Adam and Piotr chatted about Adam’s many collaborations with artists including Don Cherry and Yusuuf Lateef that started with the WMI legacy series of the late 1980s / early 1990s called Improvisations, which Adam will reboot for our 2022-2023 Season launch event that will feature some of the original artists from the series along with next generation improvisational artists.
Garifuna Culture with Aurelio Martinez and Jessica Swanston Baker
Aurelio Martinez is a musical artist, activist, and Cultural Ambassador of the Garifuna nation. The Garifuna are people of Amerindian and West African descent, living along the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Aurelio sat down with Jessica Swanston Baker, an Associate Professor and ethnomusicologist, to share music and explore Garifuna culture.
Sound Healing with Yungchen Lhamo and Jamshied Sharifi
Award-winning Tibetan singer/songwriter Yungchen Lhamo explores sound healing with her friend and record producer Jamshied Sharifi. Yunchen’s most recent album “Awakening” (Six Degrees Records), delves into the relevance of compassion-based spirituality to our modern-day, interdependent lives.
Changüí The Sound of Guantânamo with Gianluca Tramontana and Arturo O’Farrill
Music producer and journalist Gianluca Tramontana joins Grammy Award-winning composer, pianist, educator and founder of the Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance Arturo O’Farrill, for an exploration of changüí – a rarely documented folk music from the Guantánamo region of Cuba, where Tramontana spent several months capturing the music of changüiseros. Those recordings have been released on Petaluma Records.
Azam Ali and Derek Beres
Iranian-born composer, vocalist, and musician Azam Ali sits down with author, media expert, and artist Derek Beres to discuss her journey from Iran to India and the US, her musical path and influences including her work with NIYAZ, and her passion for poetry. Azam is also the featured vocalist for Hamid Rahmanian’s ‘Song of the North’.
Merima Ključo and Jelena Milušić
A special Valentine’s Day WMI PLUS At Home with Bosnian-born duo accordionist Merima Ključo and vocalist Jelena Milušić who joined us from their home in Sarajevo, where they shared romantic music and stories from their collaboration album, Lume – a collection of international love songs, with additional original compositions by Ključo.
Eileen Ivers with Paul Keating
Grammy Award winner Eileen Ivers, called “the Jimi Hendrix of the violin” by The New York Times, shares tunes and chats with Irish Voice columnist Paul Keating about her musical training and upbringing in The Bronx (“the 33rd county of Ireland”), her memories of visiting and playing in Ireland, her experience touring with Riverdance, and the challenges of innovating while honoring musical traditions.
Alsarah (Alsarah and the Nubatones)
A special WMI PLUS At Home with Alsarah – singer/songwriter, founder of Alsarah and the Nubatones, and self-proclaimed practitioner of East African retro-pop, who chats with her sister and fellow band member Nahid as she prepares a Sudanese meal. The conversation is followed by a Q&A with attendees (contains adult language).
Daymé Arocena with Ned Sublette
With her captivating charisma and radiant spirit, Daymé Arocena effortlessly blends traditional Santerían chant, jazz stylings, contemporary R&B influences, and Afro-Cuban rhythmic complexity for audiences worldwide. Her passion for the musical traditions of her homeland is boundless – “reigniting the Cuban soundtrack wherever she plays” (NPR). She sat down with award-winning music writer and artist Ned Sublette for this At Home conversation.
Lokua Kanza with Banning Eyre
Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo and now based in Paris, Lokua Kanza is an exceptionally gifted multi-instrumentalist who sings in several languages. His most recent album released in 2021 entitled Moko, meaning “one” in Lingala, celebrates Lokua’s return to the stage after an 11-year hiatus. He shares music and talks with Banning Eyre (Afropop Worldwide) about his prolific career.
Natu Camara with Darek Mazzone
Multi-lingual Guinean artist Natu Camara shared music and joined Darek Mazzone (host of “Wo’ Pop” on KEXP Radio) for a conversation about using music as a means to build cultural bridges and to promote the empowerment of women and girls.
Leyla McCalla with Mike Block
Haitian-American Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Leyla McCalla (Carolina Chocolate Drops, Our Native Daughters) sits down with Grammy Award-winning cellist Mike Block (Silkroad Ensemble) to share songs and chat about her path from cello to banjo and finding her voice, her musical influences, and the inspiration she derives from her Haitian legacy.
Ballaké Sissoko with Banning Eyre
Malian kora master and Griot Ballaké Sissoko joins WMI from his home studio in France for an At Home conversation in which he shares music and chats with Banning Eyre (Afropop Worldwide) about his many collaborations including his most recent album Djourou, as well as the history and cultural significance of the kora. (In French and English)
Arturo O’Farrill with Philip Klint
Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer and educator Arturo O’Farrill — leader of the “first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz” (The New York Times) and son of the late, great Cuban composer Chico O’Farrill, shares music and talks with Emmy Award-winning journalist Philip Klint (NY1 Noticias) about the evolution of latin jazz, and his travels to Cuba and Mexico.
Dobet Gnahoré with Jacob Edgar (Cumbancha)
Dobet Gnahoré is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and musician from Côte d’Ivoire, and one of the freshest talents to emerge in African music in the last few decades. She sings in seven languages and embraces many musical styles. Dobet is joined in conversation by Cumbancha label President and ethnomusicologist, Jacob Edgar, as she shares songs from her new album, Couleur, released on Cumbancha. (In French and English)
WMI PLUS At Home with Sonny (Riyaaz Qawwali) and Asad Ali Jafri (South Asia Institute)
Sonny, Artistic Director and singer of the ethnically and spiritually diverse group Riyaaz Qawwali, one of the only musical ensembles of its kind in the United States, is joined in conversation by South Asia Institute Executive Director, Asad Ali Jafri, as they explore the past, present, and future of this devotional music tradition.
WMI PLUS At Home with Las Cafeteras and Juan Díes (Sones de México)
Members of Las Cafeteras, a celebrated Chicano band out of East L.A. known for their joyous, multi-faceted blend of the folkloric Son Jarocho music of Veracruz with hip-hop, zapateado dance, and incisive social consciousness, discuss their music, instruments, and their commitment to social justice in a conversation with Juan Diaz, a fellow musician and educator from the band Sones De México.
WMI PLUS At Home with Simon Shaheen and Wanees Zarour
This At Home session features a conversation between internationally acclaimed musician, composer, and educator Simon Shaheen with fellow Palestinian musician and educator Wanees Zarour. Shaheen, a virtuoso on both the oud and violin, talks about his extensive musical journey in promoting Arab music in its many forms, and the joys of bringing down musical walls.
WMI PLUS At Home with Anoushka Shankar and Priya Darshini
Join world-renowned Grammy Award-nominated composer and sitarist Anoushka Shankar in an intimate conversation with her friend and fellow Grammy Award-nominated musician Priya Darshini. Anoushka shares music and stories about her career and continuing her family’s musical legacy. Anoushka has recorded and released over 15 albums as a solo artist in addition to the collaborations with her late father, sitar master Ravi Shankar.
WMI PLUS At Home with Foday Musa Suso and Emily Bishton
Longtime World Music Institute friend and internationally renowned Gambian kora player, Foday Musa Suso joins Emily Bishton in a conversation about Suso’s music, his instrument, the 21-stringed kora from West Africa. Suso shares music and talks about his autobiography, “A Village Griot Boy and the World”, which Bishton co-authored, followed by a Q&A with attendees.