Prior to the start of the COVID-19 crisis, Bellefontaine and the Holland Theatre were selected as the Ohio site for the 2019-21 Arts Midwest World Fest, featuring four international musicians on tour over a two-year period to facilitate cultural exchanges in small and mid-sized partner communities in nine states.
One of the touring group visits, Hikaru from Japan, took place last fall in Logan County for a weeklong residency at a variety of locations.
While the other stops by the professional musicians are currently on hold because of international travel difficulties and the pandemic, the World Fest is taking a new approach starting this week— an educational video series that connects the artists to the classroom.
Throughout October and November, Arts Midwest will release videos featuring three international music ensembles whose Midwestern World Fest tours were canceled. The featured ensembles are The Hadar Maoz Ensemble from Israel, Paulo Padilha e Bando from Brazil, and Hikaru from Japan.
Each group has created three videos for its partner communities: a concert, a workshop, and short “Off the Stage” documentary video about life and culture in their home countries.
“We’re excited to be able to connect these incredible artists to Midwestern communities through these videos, which will be useful in school, at home, at the library—so many different applications,” said Torrie Allen, Arts Midwest president and CEO. “It’s a chance to travel around the world when we can’t do so personally.”
Curriculum materials are available at https://www.artsmidwest.org/programs/worldfest/world-fest-online will support each set of videos to help educators and parents use the videos in classrooms and beyond.
The videos will be released on the following schedule:
• Hadar Maoz — Oct. 27 through 29; “Off the Stage” Documentary and Workshop available Tuesday, Oct. 27; concert premiering on Facebook and Youtube at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday, Oct. 29; Hadar Maoz’ ensemble takes listeners through 2,500 years of Israel’s musical tradition. She finds inspiration for her music everywhere, from ancient Persia to modern rock and roll. Her ensemble includes Marina Cohen on oud, Roi Avitol on guitar, and Itamar Asaf Tal on percussion.
• Paulo Padilha e Bando — Nov. 10 through 12; “Off the Stage” Documentary and Workshop: Available Tuesday, November 10; Concert: Premiering on Facebook and Youtube at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday, November 12; Known for his humorous lyrics and nimble guitar playing, Paulo Padilha has produced several albums, including one entitled “In the Dollar Store I Feel Like a Millionaire.” Paulo’s group includes Leonardo Mendes on guitar, and Samba Sam, Dani Fried, and André Magalhãez on percussion.
• Hikaru — Nov. 17 through 19; “Off the Stage” Documentary and Workshop: Available Tuesday, Nov. 17; concert premiering on Facebook and Youtube at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday, Nov. 19; Hikaru is led by award-winning international performer Nobuto Yamanaka, one of Japan’s premier Tsugaru Shamisen players. The ensemble also includes Tomoko Tekeda on the shinobue flute, Toen Hibiki on the taiko drums, and vocalist and dancer Takemi Kakizaki.
Following the release of the videos, Arts Midwest will connect each ensemble to selected classrooms or other groups in partner communities for live, online conversation, questions and exchange. Participating partner communities in the 2019-21 World Fest cycle include Bellefontaine; Williston, N.D.; Huron, S.D.; Fairmont, Minn.; Menomonie, Wis.; Ames, Iowa, Ironwood, Mich.; Carbondale, Ill.; and Rushville, Ind.
The 2019–2021 Arts Midwest World Fest cycle is generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, 3Mgives, the Kaufman Family Fund for Israeli Cultural Exchange, and the Japan Foundation through the Performing Arts JAPAN program.
Additional support is provided by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China for Choor, and by the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, the Israel Lottery Council for Culture & Arts, and Music Port for Hadar Maoz. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Arts Midwest is also generously supported by Illinois Arts Council Agency, Indiana Arts Commission, Iowa Arts Council, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Minnesota State Arts Board, North Dakota Council on the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, South Dakota Arts Council, and Wisconsin Arts Board.