2023 AWMF Schedule
2023 Artists
AWMF SoundWalk
Fire Recovery Fundraiser
This Memorial Day Weekend, the Ashland World Music Festival invites you to with community and the arts IN PERSON. The 2023 AWMF features a live main stage event highlighting culture-bearing musical artists in Lithia Park, a HeartBeat Stories event, a percussion workshop, a community samba dance on Ashland’s downtown Plaza, and a weekend of SoundWalking through beautiful downtown Ashland.
All festival events are FREE, family friendly, & ADA accessible.
For the most-immediate updates, follow the 2023 AWMF Facebook event page, @awmforegon on Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter.
2023 AWMF Events
Photo courtesy of Bob Palermini
Photo courtesy of Bob Palermini
Photo courtesy of Bob Palermini
Photo courtesy of Bob Palermini
Photo courtesy of Bob Palermini
Special thanks to Bob Palermini Photography!
ARTISTS
JAKE BLOUNT
HeartBeat Stories & Park Performances
“An Afrofuturist in roots-music garb.”
Jake Blount is a specialist in the early folk music of Black Americans. He is a skilled performer of spirituals, blues and string band repertoire. Blount’s music is rooted in care and confrontation. A scholar of Black American music, he speaks ardently about the African roots of the banjo and the subtle, yet profound ways African Americans have shaped and defined the amorphous categories of roots music and Americana.
FABIOLA MENDEZ
HeartBeat Stories & Park Performances
“Cuatrista. Composer. Educator.”
Fabiola Méndez, B.M is a Puerto Rican cuatro player, educator, and composer who has taken part in a musical movement, crossing over the lines of genres such as folkloric, jazz & Latin. Her artistic vision and original music focus on the exploration of her culture, her ancestry, and her identities.
ARJUN VERMA
HeartBeat Stories & Park Performances
“A unique voice on the sitar.”
Arjun Verma has spent his entire life steeped in the tradition of North Indian Classical Music and has emerged with a unique voice on the sitar—both within the tradition of North Indian Classical Music, and through his innovative cross-genre collaborations.
KEVIN CARR & THE FAMILY CARR
HeartBeat Stories & Park Performances
“Singer, storyteller, player of fiddle, bagpipes, accordion, & banjo.”
Kevin Carr traveled to Ireland in 1974 on a ‘roots journey,’ where he was ‘gobsmacked by traditional Irish music. That fascination continues to this day.
Daniel Carr & Josie Mendelsohn join Kevin as The Family Carr and present new arrangements of traditional music from Galicia, Ireland, Cape Breton, & the American south.
MALINKA WORLD MUSIC COLLECTIVE
Park Performances
“A funky, eclectic mix of vibrant music of Balkan/Eastern European, Romani, Latin, and hot jazz/swing.”
Vibrant music from all over the world, reawakened and arranged in Malinka's own contemporary style, along with original tunes composed by the group! Juicy three-part harmonies in many languages with crispy beats to get you dancing. Featuring hot clarinet and violin improvisations by in every song, hear music that has stood the test of time and continues to stir our spirits to this day.
SAN FRANCISCO YIDDISH COMBO
Park Performances
“Klezmer for the 21st century.”
The San Francisco Yiddish Combo (SFYC) was formed by accident when a love of Klezmer music collided with their collective backgrounds in every genre except Klezmer. Now the SFYC is embarked on a journey around the world to present their own unique blend of everything that is Klezmer, mixed with years of experience in the jazz, blues, folk, and even hip hop world.
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FELIPE LUZ
Percussion Workshop
Felipe Luz is a Brazilian Music Producer, Multi-Instrumentalist and Teacher who’s been based in the Rogue Valley since 2014. He’s performed with local acts including Alquimistas, Rogue World Ensemble, Malinka and Pony. His approach to music is very intuitive, improvisational and playful. His musical aesthetic is inspired by world folk music, nature sounds and sacred ancient chants.
EXÁ
Plaza Community Dance - An authentic Brazilian Bloco de Carnaval!
“An ecstactic journey through Brazilian soundscapes.”
Exá is a musical entity that has its roots in the afro-brazilian rhythms and chants, but breaks out of tradition to create more modern soundscapes. It takes people through an ecstatic journey that establishes a link between the timeless and the timely. Exá features 9 musicians, who make possible enriched arrangements: 3-part harmonies, horns and a full percussion ensemble. Its live performances are always full of surprises as it often features on the spot arrangement changes, improvisation and guest musicians.
SOUNDWALK
The Ashland World Music Festival SoundWalk offers a curated, self-guided, interactive, audio/visual experience that weaves together the audio recordings of musicians from around the globe with visual installations of art by local professional & student artists.
Key SoundWalk Info:
The SoundWalks are available for viewing/listening 6am Friday, May 26th through 9 pm Monday, May 29th.
Participation is free.
The SoundWalk stream features musicians/music groups from around the world.
The SoundWalk map, with each installation point marked, is available for download/printing, in the AWMF brochures available at the Ashland Chamber of Commerce, and viewing online.
WALK, LOOK, LISTEN, CONNECT
How to “SoundWalk” - accessing the audio
Option 1: Using the ECHOS App
Open the app. In the search bar type and select “2023 AWMF SoundWalk.”
Select “Stream Walk.”
Start walking towards any of the SoundWalk locations on the map. Site-specific audio will begin playing as you approach each spot.
This app curates the specific audio you hear based on your GPS coordinates, making sure you are viewing and hearing the perfect pairing.
OR
Option 2: Stream Here - click the “play” button below
If streaming the audio here, we recommend starting your SoundWalk at the Library.
2023 AWMF SoundWalk Map - printable pdf
Printed SoundWalk map/event brochures are available at all 2023 AWMF event info booths as well.
2023 AWMF SoundWalk Visual Artists:
Ashland Library: Ashland Middle School Students (Ella Collins, Aspen Shannon, Elise Totten, Ruby Hickman, Jade Williams, Fiona Cott, Kotah Monti, Jolene Rodgers, Elena Barber, Ava McChesney, Josie Christenen, Talia Egendoefer, Karina Allen, Violet Kaiser, Sophia Kotler, Jonahven Palombo, and Jude Whalen)
Catalyst Ashland: Liudmila Sokol & Jarrett Davidson
Cosmic Muffin School of Cookery: Liliana Del Valley
Music Coop: Spencer Reynolds
Ashland Chamber of Commerce: Tahiz Perezchica
Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty: Manya Yana Orescan Campos
2023 AWMF SoundWalk Audio Contributors
Ashland Library: “Foliada.” A traditional Galician song. Performer- Rogue World Ensemble.
Catalyst Ashland: "Popid nashym sadochkom." A traditional Ukrainian song. Performer- Alchymeia.
Cosmic Muffin School of Cookery: “Morning Song.” Written and performed by Liliana Del Valle.
Music Coop: A traditional Hawaiian hula chant. Performer- Hālau Hula Ka Pi’o O Ke Ānuenue, 2021 Virtual AWMF Main Stage Concert.
Ashland Chamber of Commerce: Traditional love song from Michoácan, sung in Purepecha. Performer- Son Huitzilin, 2021 Virtual AWMF Main Stage Concert.
Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty: “My Abuela is My Homegirl” and “La Rasta Azteca.” Written and read by Manya Yana Orescan Campos
FIRE RECOVERY FUNDRAISER
In support of Almeda Wildfire recovery and rebuilding efforts
2023 AWMF Fundraiser Donation Form
2023 Fundraiser benefits the ACCESS Center for Community Resilience
ACCESS helps transition fire survivors from living in hotels and other short-term housing to stable, suitable housing options. The Center for Community Resilience (CCR) was created in August 2021 along with ACCESS partners, including case managers from the State of Oregon and other local agencies, to assist those who were impacted by the 2020 Jackson County wildfires. Help is available for finding a place to call home.
Housing support services are available NOW. Fire-impacted households should call (541) 414-0318 for assistance or email ACCESS (se habla Español).
The Center for Community Resilience is funded in part by a grant from the Oregon Department of Housing and Community Services.
Center for Community Resilience February 2023 Program Report
Funds raised from 2020 to today: $30,000
Past recipients:
2020: Phoenix-Talent School District Family Fire Relief Fund
2021: Unete Immigrant Families & Farm Workers Fire Relief Fund
2022: Coalición Fortaleza’s Resident-owned Mobile Home Project
**Rogue World Music does not retain any funds donated directly to the annual fire fundraiser.
History of the AWMF Fire Recovery Fundraiser
On September 8th, 2020, the Almeda Wildfire swept through the Rogue Valley in an unprecedented natural disaster. One third of the communities of Talent, Phoenix, and neighborhoods on unincorporated county land between Ashland and Medford were burned. It destroyed over 2,500 buildings, and displaced thousands of people. Senior, workforce, and low-income housing were disproportionately decimated.
Rogue World Music’s mission is building community and cultural connections through world music experience. We decided to turn the free events of the Ashland World Music Festival into a fundraiser for an organization directly serving those Rogue Valley community members impacted by the Almeda Wildfire, putting our mission into tangible action. All festival events remain free. Instead, we use the festival events as a platform to share the story of the organization we are fundraising for and the work that needs to be continued in order to rebuild our Rogue Valley community. Rebuilding has come a long way in the past two years, but total recovery will require almost a decade.
2023 AWMF SPONSORS
“We’re delighted to be a small part of a beautiful event that made the world feel a little closer and connected through the joy and experience of music.”
Additional support provided by:
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Ashland World Music Festival Press & Archives
May 23, 2023 Jefferson Exchange, Jefferson Public Radio
May 22, 2023 Fabiola Mendez & Felipe Archer Interviews, KSKQ
May 8, 2023 RWM, APRC, & ACCESS Interviews, KSKQ
Ashland.news: “Ashland World Music Festival Wows Hundreds in Lithia Park”
KOBI-TV NBC5: “The 7th Annual Ashland World Music Festival Was a Huge Success”
2021 Ashland World Music Festival (virtual) Main Stage Concerts
2021 Ashland World Music Festival (virtual) HeartBeat Stories