Rhythms and beats from all over the world will create a festival of diversity at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s grounds at the Ninth Annual ¡Globalquerque! this week.
Tom Frouge and Neal Copperman consider themselves world music connoisseurs. Working in the record label industry for years, the two decided to pair up and create an event that would immerse the audience in culturally diverse music.
“We wanted people to walk away saying ‘Oh my God, that was amazing on every level,’” Frouge said.
¡Globalquerque! began in 2004 as a way to broaden cultural understanding, Copperman said. Views of the world tend to be distorted and experiencing a culture’s art can alter those perceptions, he said.
Seventeen bands will play throughout the two-day festival on three open stages.
A free, all-day festival accompanies the concerts on Saturday, while vendors offer food and goods from all over the world.
Hotdogs and hamburgers won’t be available at ¡Globalquerque!, but Argentinian and Southern Indian foods, Italian street pizza, and even local beer and wine will be on the menu, Frouge said.
In addition to the delicacies, several of the performers will hold workshops on a variety of music-related topics.
Vocalist Christine Salem, who hails from the small island of La Réunion near Madagascar, will hold a workshop on her native instruments.
Rhythm of Rajasthan from India will teach a Indian dance class.
Taiwan’s A Moving Sound has a musical multimedia presentation planned as well as a class on a dance that involves Tai Chi.
“You get a good introduction and if you’re attending the nighttime concert, you get a lot of background about the bands before you see them,” Copperman said.
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While the artists performing at ¡Globalquerque! hold value in their traditional roots and culture, there are modern qualities and influences in much of the music.
Leila Flores-Dueñas, an associate professor in the Department of Education, will be a first-time participant in ¡Globalquerque! with her band Las Flores del Valles.
Flores-Dueñas, an upright bassist, said that being a part of this year’s festival lineup is a huge honor for Las Flores del Valles.
The band will be performing songs that have New Mexican, Mexican, South American, Texan and German influence.
Flores-Dueñas said Copperman and Frouge have a way of getting the best bands to come to Albuquerque, and their festival is world class.
“When I think of ¡Globalquerque!, I think wonderful sampler of world beat music,” she said. “People go into the large theater and the smaller theater. There are all of these events going on at the same time. If you love African music, you can go to one place. If you love Mexican music, you can go to another place.”
Copperman said festivals and performances often spark creative interest among attendees.
“Someone might have come to hear great Latin music, but they’ll leave with a newfound appreciation for Arabic sounds,” Copperman said. “Everything sounds kind of different yet it’s bewitching.”
¡Globalquerque! has also set up a performance by Sihasin, a Diné rock band, on Friday in front of the SUB at UNM. The band’s sounds are like a Native American White Stripes, Frouge said.
National Hispanic Cultural Center
1701 Fourth St. S.W., at Avenida César Chávez
One-day ticket: $27 student, $32 regular
Weekend ticket: $44 student, $54 regular
Grounds open at 4 p.m. Performances start at 6:20 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday, and run until at least 11:40 p.m. The Global Village, 30 booths of vendors selling food, crafts and other cultural items, will be open into the night. There will be free day programming on Saturday for families and adults from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
