Welcome the Jubilee Voices for a weekend of activities that celebrate the tradition of song in the African American community. Activities include performances as well as a community sing where we invite everyone to join in.

Asian American Center of Frederick is celebrating the Chinese New Year in partnership with New Spire Arts. Join us for an afternoon of performance and food/drink to ring in the new year. The DC Beijing Opera will be the featured performers for the afternoon.

La Patronal is a unique brass band from Lima, Peru. Rooted in the tradition of ‘fiestas populares’ or town fairs common in rural villages across Latin America, La Patronal honours these gatherings, which celebrate tradition through fireworks, dancing, and religious images.

Mokoomba is one the most exciting bands to come out of Africa in the 21st century. This explosively talented six-man crew from northern Zimbabwe has toured over 40 countries on five continents, and performed at the world’s most prestigious international festivals and venues, including New York’s Apollo Theater, the UK’s WOMAD Festival, and many others. Zimbabwe’s best-known musical icons, Thomas Mapfumo and Oliver Mtukudkzi, exemplify the culture of the country’s Shona majority. But Mokoomba’s music is rooted in the Tonga, Luvale and Nyanja rhythms and melodies from Victoria Falls, where these six grew up together, friends since childhood. Mokoomba’s signature sound is a mix of indigenous elements—including stirring songs from boys’ initiation ceremonies—and influences from modern regional styles, such as Congolese soukous and South African vocal polyphony. Their two albums—the fiercely electric Rising Tide (2012) and more acoustic and rootsy Luyando (2017)—have garnered universal acclaim. But nothing compares to the band’s kinetic, choreographed stage show, centered on mesmerizing lead singer Mathias Muzaza. Mathis can coo and croon, growl like a dancehall braggadocio, toss in a little falsetto and vibrato or soar into his full-throated, leathery smooth tenor reminiscent of Salif Keita, in a West African griot’s wail.

The mission of the Frederick Chorale, an auditioned mixed chorus that values artistic excellence, is to prepare and perform fine choral repertoire of diverse musical styles and to enrich the cultural life of the Frederick County community. The Frederick Chorale was organized in 1977 to provide an outlet for talented area singers who wanted to learn and perform excellent choral music. The Chorale is known for the high caliber of its performances and its community involvement. The auditioned chorus has sung for many cultural, civic, and celebratory events in Frederick and further afield in Annapolis, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., England, Germany, Canada, and the Middle East, as well as at the White House and on the Today Show.

Collectively led by bassist Keith Witty and saxophonist Christophe Panzani, THIEFS features an expandable line-up… from stripped down sax/bass/drums trio to sextet featuring piano and vocalists in English and French. Fully acoustic to fully electronic, THIEFS weave elements of modern composition and improvisation into a boundary-less foundation of beats. THIEFS’ soon-to-be-released sophomore record, GRAFT, explores notions of nationality, immigration, otherness and the way we as humans evolve and adapt to new cultural and physical landscapes. The new record features David Frazier Jr. on acoustic and electronic drums, Aaron Parks on piano and keyboards, and Mike Ladd, Gaël Faye and Guillermo E. Brown on vocals. Click here for media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA9D6L_TuaE&feature=youtu.be