In advance of concert, Mshale and Ordway welcome Somi to Minnesota

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Somi listens intently during a Q & A as Abdullah Kiatamba of African Immigrant Services speaks during a ceremony to welcome her to Minnesota organized by Mshale and the Ordway on Monday, January 23 2017. Photo: Bethel Gessesse/Mshale
Somi listens intently during a Q & A as Abdullah Kiatamba of African Immigrant Services speaks during a ceremony to welcome her to Minnesota organized by Mshale and the Ordway on Monday, January 23 2017. Photo: Bethel Gessesse/Mshale
Somi performed two songs during a ceremony to welcome her to Minnesota organized by Mshale and the Ordway on Monday, January 23 2017. Photo: Bethel Gessesse/Mshale
Somi participated in a Q & A during a ceremony to welcome her to Minnesota organized by Mshale and the Ordway on Monday, January 23 2017. Photo: Bethel Gessesse/Mshale

Jazz vocalist and songwriter, Somi,  paid homage to the many places and people she draws inspiration from during a welcome gathering in her honor at the Brooklyn Park community center hosted by Mshale and the Ordway.

She shared her insights on the intersection of anthropology and music, the great influence of musicians like Dianne Reeves, Sarah Vaughan, and Nina Simone on her music, and how the improvisational spirit of jazz has allowed her to be all that she is and share the stories of the African diaspora. She was born in Illinois to parents from Uganda and Rwanda.

She is in the Twin Cities for a weeklong residency at the Ordway which culminates in a Friday evening concert on January 27 at 7:30pm.

At the welcoming ceremony, emceed by Abdullah Kiatamba of African Immigrant Services, she performed two of her songs, “Two Dollar Day,” and “Ingele.”

During a question and answer session, she shared her insights on the intersection of anthropology and music, the great influence of musicians like Dianne Reeves, Sarah Vaughan, and Nina Simone on her music, and how the improvisational spirit of jazz has allowed her to be all that she is and share the stories of the African diaspora.

A one hour panel discussion will precede the concert to explore the intersection of art, activism, and culture in a discussion moderated by Intermedia Arts’ Executive Director Eyenga Bokamba.  The panel will feature  former Mshale Editor Julia Nekessa Opoti, Eleanor Savage and Ifrah Mansour.

Tickets for Friday’s 7:30pm concert are available at Ordway.org.

Related: Somi to perform new album at the Ordway.

Author

  • Bethel is a general assignment reporter and photojournalist at Mshale. She is based in Atlanta.

About Bethel Gessesse, Mshale Photojournalist

Bethel is a general assignment reporter and photojournalist at Mshale. She is based in Atlanta.

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