On October 11, the North Shore Music Association welcomes renowned musician and humanitarian Samite, whose solo performance Lessons of Humanity: What My Grandfather Taught Me illustrates through stories and music the resilience of the human spirit and the fundamental truth that “we are all the same.”
Taught traditional flute as a child by his grandfather in Uganda, Samite Mulondo went on to study western flute and become one of East Africa’s most acclaimed musicians. Samite has released 10 internationally distributed CDs and has scored and appeared in films including Song of the Refugee, a documentary of his life (PBS, 1998), and Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, featuring his original score (PBS, 2009).
The Los Angeles Times writes about his work, “The multiple rhythms are forceful but not domineering, and Samite’s melodies ride over and through them to create a soothing, almost lullaby like effect. It’s modern African folk music.” A New York Times reviewer wrote about his performance, “When Samite translated his songs, their serenity seemed almost miraculous.”
With this serene spirit of hope and healing, in 2002 Samite founded the organization Musicians for World Harmony, which enables global artists to promote peace and understanding among people. As a MWH ambassador, Samite travels the world, performing music and exchanging stories with victims of war, poverty, and HIV/AIDS.
While in Grand Marais, Samite will also perform for K-8th-grade students and lead a global music workshop at Great Expectations School. At Cook County High School, he will teach a flute and percussion class to band students.
Samite will appear at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Friday, October 11 at 7 p.m. General admission for adults is $15, and $5 for youth ages 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the door starting at 6 p.m. on October 11. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.tix.com (search “Arrowhead Center for the Arts”).
These activities are made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to appropriations from the Minnesota State Legislature’s general and arts and cultural heritage funds.
Leave a Reply