The countries of Greece, Ghana and Nepal don’t seem like they have much in common. Separated by continents, the people don’t speak the same language, and the cultures are very different, but they all share one thing — expression through music.
The universal language of music connects each country, and the World Music Celebration, sponsored by the Lionel Hampton School of Music, serves as a bridge for their commonality.
Navin Chettri, the organizer and Nepalese visiting musician, said this is the fifth year of the celebration. When Chettri was a graduate student, he came up with the idea for the celebration and has been asked to participate every year since.
Chettri said the celebration is an event that brings musicians from around the world to Moscow. Those musicians work with students to put on the two-day festival. The visiting artists this year are Magda Giannikou of Greece and Habib Iddrisu of Ghana.
Chettri said the World Music Celebration is a chance to explore other cultures through music, and also to expose the Moscow and the University of Idaho community to other cultures.
“Music is an international language,” Chettri said. “It brings people together.”
The celebration takes place every February, and classes with the visiting artists began Tuesday.
The evening concerts are held 7:30 p.m. in the University Auditorium. Concerts are held Friday and Saturday night, and tickets are available at the door. Students should bring their student ID in order to get the student price.
There will also be a workshop 1 p.m. Saturday in the Haddock Performance Hall with free entry.
“Please come in spite of the weather,” Chettri said. “We really just want to share this with everyone.”
Claire Whitley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Cewhitley24