Event Title
MU262 The Ballad of the Digeridoo: The Story of Two Colby Revolutionaries who Crossed Cultural Oceans with their Rhythms
Location
Diamond 344
Start Date
1-5-2014 9:00 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 12:00 PM
Project Type
Presentation
Description
What Colbys music scene lacks in depth, it certainly makes up for in breadth. Performed music ranges from classical orchestral ensembles to rock bands and of course to die-hard Taiko drum beaters. Standing out as perhaps the most idiosyncratic of these is a South American duo, Renzo Moyano and Guillermo Sapaj, who make music by playing the African djembe drum and Australian didgeridoo respectively. Between them and their instruments, their performance represents at least six nationalities. I seek to understand where and how their music interacts with their sense of identity at Colby. By conducting an ethnographic interview, studying their music, and drawing upon the thought of ethno-musicologists Cathy Ragland and Martin Stokes, I am able to draw conclusions about the nature of their performance, especially how it reflects their political and religious philosophies. In the end, their music is surprisingly accessible considering its otherness, and the reaction of the audience provides a litmus-test confirmation of the authenticity of their act.
Faculty Sponsor
Natasha Zelensky
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Music Dept.
CLAS Field of Study
Humanities
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
645
MU262 The Ballad of the Digeridoo: The Story of Two Colby Revolutionaries who Crossed Cultural Oceans with their Rhythms
Diamond 344
What Colbys music scene lacks in depth, it certainly makes up for in breadth. Performed music ranges from classical orchestral ensembles to rock bands and of course to die-hard Taiko drum beaters. Standing out as perhaps the most idiosyncratic of these is a South American duo, Renzo Moyano and Guillermo Sapaj, who make music by playing the African djembe drum and Australian didgeridoo respectively. Between them and their instruments, their performance represents at least six nationalities. I seek to understand where and how their music interacts with their sense of identity at Colby. By conducting an ethnographic interview, studying their music, and drawing upon the thought of ethno-musicologists Cathy Ragland and Martin Stokes, I am able to draw conclusions about the nature of their performance, especially how it reflects their political and religious philosophies. In the end, their music is surprisingly accessible considering its otherness, and the reaction of the audience provides a litmus-test confirmation of the authenticity of their act.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2014/program/255