Miami University has got the beat-or at least the Global Rhythms World Music Ensemble does.
Global Rhythms, the nation's largest world music ensemble, will celebrate its 10th anniversary Sept. 29, with a concert showcasing music and dance from around the world. The ensemble, which is made up of mostly Miami students, will perform at 8 p.m. at Hall Auditorium and will be accompanied by 84 guest artists.
The director of the ensemble, Srinivas Krishnan, said the group will attempt to connect cultures from all around the world by presenting Middle Eastern, Caribbean, Indian, African, Brazilian, Latin, Australian and Western music in the form of dance theater.
The group looks to perform non-Western music utilizing Western instruments.
Krishnan, who is also the artist in residence at the Center for World and American cultures and a Miami alumnus, created the ensemble in 1997 with three members and is now the director of more than 180 artists-most of whom are Miami students. Krishnan currently lives in India but often travels to Miami to instruct and direct students as an artist in residence.
"The show is very complete in that addresses and represents every form of artistic expression," Krishnan said. "This is one way we try and find an excuse to bridge different cultures of art together."
According to Krishnan, there will be 16 different performances in the show at Miami. Each item will run five to six minutes long and will represent a specific culture.
The show will start with music from Afghanistan, then hand percussions from India and then move on to steel drums from the Caribbean and Cuba, combined with dancers from India.
The 84 guest artists performing include Jeff Queen from the Broadway show Blast, as well as various artists from Afghanistan and India. Several Miami music groups will also perform, including the all-female a cappella team and the Glee Club. Global Rhythms also collaborates with the Collegiate Chorale Singers at Miami.
In addition, a group of three Miami graduates-Tim Simeone, Beth Stelling and Darren Bailey-will be performing Clown Logic, a show they debuted at Miami last spring. The trio wrote, directed and starred in the performance and they are returning to Oxford for the Global Rhythms concert.
Queen traveled to India twice with Global Rhythms where they performed at a concert on New Year's Eve and at a cultural event in Mumbai.
"Any university is looking for diversity," Queen said. "This is a key element to (diversity)-to be able to showcase people and music from all different cultures."
According to the group's Web site, Global Rhythms has worked with 111 guest artists in the past 10 years, including Grammy winners Glen Velez and Eguie Castrillo. The group has also worked with A.R. Rahman, who is considered one of the greatest composers in Bollywood, Krishnan said.
The ensemble recently performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in front of nearly 18,000 people and has performed twice in India. Next year, 100 members plan to travel to India to perform.
Krishnan said though there are a many invitations to perform, about 80 percent come from universities close to home such as Dartmouth and Cornell.
To celebrate their 10th anniversary, a documentary is being made about the ensemble and the anniversary show. New lighting and set designs are also being brought in. This upcoming performance will be the first time the artists are able to rehearse together before the show.
"I am so happy to have the time to slow down the process," Krishnan said.
The Kris and Vicky Joshi Foundation in Dayton is by far the group's largest sponsor, according to Krishnan. The foundation sponsors and provides monetary support to cultural activities and groups that promote diversity.
"Global Rhythms really brings a world of people together through music and gives young American students the opportunity to be part of a global community," Kris Joshi said.
Vhairavi Jani, a Miami graduate now living in India, has also supported many projects, such as the group's performance at the Hollywood Bowl and in Bombay, India.
Krishnan emphasized that the group is not just here to create music, but to understand who we are in society.
"Global Rhythms is a wonderful symbol of unity," Krishnan says. "We can now proudly say that we have brought students closer to the world."
