Be prepared to hear something completely different and new from Cuba! Founded in 1994, the Creole Choir celebrates the history of their descendants enslaved to the Caribbean from West Africa. The Choir’s ten remarkable singers come from Camagüey, Cuba’s third largest city, towards the eastern end of the island. With vibrant dancing and irresistible melodies driven by richly textured harmonies and shifting Caribbean rhythms, this is impassioned singing by a thoroughly unique group. As the Choir says: “For us music is like food, it feeds the spirit and is inspiration for everyday life.” Tickets are $45 general, $45 Senior/Child and $22 HSU students. Tickets are available at the University Ticket Office and at humboldt.edu/centerarts.
The Creole Choir of Cuba has preserved musical treasures from Haiti, Dominica and Cuba within their rich descendant communities in Cuba. Referred to as “Desandann” domestically, the group is composed from the descendants of several waves of Haitian migrants who escaped slavery at the end of the 18th Century or more recently came as laborers to work Cuba’s sugar plantations.
Between 1975 and 1805 30,000 Haitians emigrated to eastern Cuba with another wave occurring from 1920 – 1940 and yet another in the 1980s. Today, estimates of the Haitian population in Cuba range from 300,000 on up to 1 million. Each wave of immigrants had its own distinct characteristics and brought with them the strong musical and dance traditions, their religion, customs, rituals and cultural habits on their journey from Haiti to Cuba.
With information gathered from generations of Haitian immigrants, The Creole Choir of Cuba promotes and performs music of Haitian origin, especially “La Cancionistica”, music which has been enriched by elements of other Creole speaking Caribbean countries. Their repertoire consists of a wide range of choral arrangements with percussion accompaniment including Choucoune, a Haitian merengue, Gran Toumobile a Creole Mazurka, and Doudou Moin, a Martinique merengue.
For more information and credit card orders call CenterArts at 826-3928 or at humboldt.edu/centerarts.