A rainy day couldn’t dampen the spirits that were enlivened by the 17th Annual Samba Fest. Crowds gathered to listen and dance to Brazilian and world music at Trinity College’s Austin Arts Center on April 26, 2025.
The festival—which is free and open to all—was founded in 1997 by Professor of Music Eric A. Galm. In recognition of the valuable impact that this cross-cultural event has had on the public, Galm and Samba Fest recently received the Society for Ethnomusicology’s 2024 Judith McCulloh Public Sector Award.
The featured artists from Brazil were: Confraria do Groove/Groove Brotherhood; Quarteto Pirá—with Nelson Latif, Marcelo Lima, Esdras Rodrigues, and Galm—and the DJ and sax duo OUTPLANET.
Artists from Connecticut included: Hartford’s Proud Drill Drum and Dance Corp; Bomba Fusion (Puerto Rican bomba music and dance with Nelson Bello); and Zikina (East African-inspired world music with Gideon Ampieri).
Brazilian dance workshops (Capoeira, Maculelê, and Samba) were offered by Efraím Silva and Thelma Ladeira.
The Trinity Samba Ensemble, directed by Galm, featured special guests José Paulo, Austin Tewksbury, Brandon Serafino, Ashish Adhikari, Khaiim Kelly, Nelson Latif, Jake Weiner, Patrick Lennon, Michael Ferrigno, and Marsala Mbaye. A performance by Trinity Steel was directed by Curtis Greenidge.
The day also included games, activities, crafts, food trucks, free face painting by Amazing Face Art, and more.
See more photos in the gallery below and watch a recording of the Samba Fest livestream here.
This year’s cohort of President’s Fellows includes some of Trinity’s most accomplished seniors. These 32 student scholars from the Class of 2027 have compiled exemplary academic records in their years at the College.
Trustees, honorees, and their families gathered on Friday, October 16, as Trinity College added five new names to its Wall of Honor. The Wall recognizes individuals and organizations whose lifetime giving to Trinity has surpassed $1 million.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Will McCormack ’96 returned to Trinity College recently for a screening of his latest film, the 2026 comedy-drama The Invite, and a conversation in which he discussed his writing process and the magic of movies.
Restaurateur Danny Meyer ’80, H’24, P’20 returned to Trinity College to help launch TrinTalks, a new series of campus conversations in which alumni share stories about how Trinity shaped their career trajectories.
