AMADOU KOUYATE – African Drumming: weekly classes, performances, workshops and coaching

Amadou is the first Diali born in the Americas.  As heir to the 150 th generation of the Kouyate legacy, Amadou’s life revolves around the oral tradition of transmitting and safeguarding the history of his clan through music and the arts.  He continues to travel around the world performing with various groups dazzling audiences with his speed, grace and power.  He is an avid and professional Kora player and is also proficient in all types of other traditional West African instruments such as Kutiro, Sabar, Djembe, Balafon, Krin and Tama.  He teaches the Djembe at the University of Maryland. 
www.memoryofafricanculture.org/amk

RON WARREN – Native American Flute, Weekly Classes, Workshops, Flute Festival and Coaching

Native American Flute Soloist Ron Warren (Echota Cherokee) was praised by The Washington Post for his "expressive and highly energetic" performances. He has performed at the Inter-American Development Cultural Center, the Stone Ridge School for “Voice of America”, and with his band Taiowe at the National Museum of the American Indian. He produces an annual Native Flute Festival as part of the Montgomery College World Arts Festival and runs local flute classes and groups. Ron Warren’s recordings Heartbeats of the Forest World, Dancing the Full Moon and Morning Star, Evening Star are available at cdbaby.com

www.ronwarren.net

MELANIE T. PINKERT – Korean Music Resident, workshops, performances and coaching

Mrs. Pinkert has been an adjunct music faculty at Montgomery College since the summer of 2005. She performs and arranges music in the World Ensemble. She holds two master’s degrees, one in music education from the Northwestern University School of Music (1996), and one in ethnomusicology from Brown University (1983). As an education consultant and teacher, she has developed and led programs in world music education for teachers, museum staff and students, for organizations including the Smithsonian Museums, and the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative. Mrs. Pinkert taught multicultural music in public and private schools (Chicago and Washington, DC areas) for 6 years. She performs West African drum and Korean zither music. Mrs. Pinkert is married, has two children and lives in Bethesda.

Melanie.pinkert@montgomerycollege.edu

DAWN AVERY – Producer of Montgomery College World Arts Festival and Director of MC World Ensemble

“Rarely are performers as at home at Lincoln Center as they are in a sweat lodge. Composer, cellist, vocalist, educator and Grammy-nominated performer Dawn Avery is equally comfortable with either. Working with musical luminaries from Luciano Pavarotti to Sting, Dawn spent years honing her musical talents, collaborating and performing with John Cage, Glen Velez, Carlos Nakai, Joanne Shenandoah, David Darling, Ustad Sultan Kahn, Sussan Deyhim, Karsh Kale, Baba Olatunji, Reza Derakshani, John Cale, and Mischa Maisky.

Dawn Avery has performed at the Montreux, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Banleiu Bleu Jazz Festivals in Europe. She’s played uptown at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, as well as in New York’s thriving downtown music stages like the Knitting Factory, La Mama and The Kitchen.

Dawn Avery specializes in the performance of Native American music with her own ensemble OKENTI and in indigenous classical music with her cello, voice and percussion duo CELLOVISION! She and her ensemble were featured at the National Museum of the American Indian’s first Native Classical events in October, 2006.

As an educator, Professor Avery helps to nurture future generations of musicians at Montgomery College where she also produces an annual World Arts Festival…” Virginia Prescott, National Public Radio

www.dawnavery.com