Presenting
Native music in a highly personal style, the First
Nation women's group Ulali will perform at Berea College on Tuesday,
March 2, beginning at 8 p.m. in Union Church.
Ulali's sound, which features unusual harmonies and a wide vocal
range, encompasses an array of indigenous music including Southeast
choral singing (pre-blues and gospel) and pre-Columbian music.
Addressing Native struggles and accomplishments, the group will sing
in English and a handful of native languages. Hand drums or rattles
will accompany most of their music.
The performance is a Women's History month event, and is sponsored
by the Women's History Month Committee.
Ulali has toured extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, and
abroad, appearing at major venues that include the 1996 Olympics in
Atlanta, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian Folk Life
Festival, and Woodstock '94.
The group also travels throughout the Indian country of the U.S.,
Canada, and Central and South America visiting communities, singing
for people, exchanging songs, and maintaining strong ties. They also
have performed at POW WOW's and can often be heard on Native radio
stations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Ulali has performed with many well-known
U.S. entertainers,
including the Indigo Girls and Robbie Robertson and has appeared on
the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno." The group was featured on the
Smithsonian Folkways Recording compilation "Heartbeat" and can be
heard on dozens of albums, documentaries, and movies. Their video"Follow Your Hearts Desire" won the "Best Music Video" at
the First
Americans in the Arts Awards.
The three members of Ulali and their First Nation heritage are are
Pure Fe (Tuscarora), Soni (Mayan, Apache, Yaqui) and Jennifer
(Tuscarora).
Pure Fe, who studied with the American Ballet Theatre and Martha
Graham, has sung with the Mercer Ellington Orchestra and has appeared
in numerous Broadway productions. She is a guest instructor at the
Native Theatre School in Toronto and conducts vocal workshops
throughout the Americas.
Soni Moreno has studied at the American Conservatory Theatre in
California. Soni has appeared in various theatrical and musical
productions including the San Francisco and New York productions of"Hair." She also assisted the Smithsonian Institution on the opening
of the National Museum of the American Indian.
Jennifer Elizabeth Kreisberg comes from four generations of seven
singing sisters through the maternal line and has been singing since
she was a small child. She guest lectures and conducts vocal workshops at
universities, schools and festivals and has done background vocals for
various rock and jazz groups. She is a founding member of the Native
American Scholarship Fund at Lynchburg College in Virginia.
Admission to the performance is free and open to the public.
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