A popular notion suggests that a vibration a butterfly’s wing on one side of the earth could trigger an oversized impact on the other side, a nod to the interconnectedness of the world.
In Trinity College’s case, a musician playing a steel drum might do the same. In celebration of the College’s 200 years, Professor of Music Eric Galm is calling together 200 musicians and community members to make a “Bicentennial Big Bang.”
In addition to the anniversary of the College’s founding, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Trinity Samba Ensemble and the 16th edition of the Samba Fest, an event that has welcomed 70,000 people over the years to attend, perform, and participate in workshops.
“Music festivals are not just sites of entertainment-they are places where people can see, hear, and learn about rhythm and movement that connects cultures,” said Galm.
The Big Bang will bring them all together: Samba from Brazil, steel pan from Trinidad, bomba and plena from Puerto Rico, West African drum and dance, Hartford’s Proud Drum and Dance Drill Corp.
What began as a small public performance featuring local musicians and students presenting music research, has grown into an annual event that draws musicians from around the world including Latin Grammy-winning musicians and those who have sang and danced in Rio De Janeiro’s carnaval parades.
“Our success is not only presenting professional and community musicians from Brazil,” said Galm. “Showcasing them on our stage in Hartford, they are seen and validated internationally, which helps advance their careers when they return home.”
This year, Samba Fest is slated for April 20, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Trinity College Gates Quad in front of the Austin Arts Center. It is free and open to the public, with crafts and activities provided by student and community organizations.
Austin Tewksbury ’13, has played as a guitarist for the Samba Ensemble for several years, including this one. The double major in biology and music, joined the Samba Ensemble his junior year, and continues to return.
“It’s such a free, relaxed environment,” said Tewksbury, a musician who teaches lessons in Hartford and even returns to campus to join such gigs as the orchestra pit for the Theater Department’s Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. “Partly why I took some time to join the group was I didn’t know if they’d need a bass guitarist.”
Once he showed up to practice, he said, Galm’s call-and-response style of teaching by leading with a high-pitched samba drum was easy to follow. “Everyone imitates it and all of a sudden—it works!”
Headliners for the 2024 Samba Fest include Brazilian musicians Henrique Eisenmann on piano, and Téka on vocals and guitar. Eisenmann, who performs and records with multi-Grammy-winning musician Paul Winter, participated in the 2023 Samba Fest. Téka will make her Samba Fest debut with her “New Bossa” style, an array of Brazilian jazz musical compositions. The festival will also feature the premiere of Kainga Music, a community-based Steel Pan ensemble from southern California and directed by Keli Ross-Ma’u, a dynamic performer, music educator, and 2007 Trinity College Music Department graduate.
Trinity Samba Ensemble, directed by Galm, will perform with more than 40 drummers and a backing horn section. The group includes Hartford-area artists, including Brazilian singer José Paulo, singer Brandon Serafino ‘14, Tewksbury ‘13 on guitar, and Ashish Adhikari ’13, who is flying up from Texas for the day, to play bass. The group will play a variety of music from Brazil, Bob Marley, and the Beatles. Trinity Steel, directed by Curtis Greenidge from Trinidad, will also perform at the festival.
Festival-goers are also invited to participate in a “Bicentennial Big Bang,” a spontaneous ensemble of 200 drummers led by Galm and including Hartford’s Proud Drill Drum and Dance Corp, Ray Gonzalez, Plena Del Barrio, and Nelson Bello and Friends. In addition to this wide variety of musical performances workshops on capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art-dance-game, and maculelê, an Afro-Brazilian stick dance, will be offered by Efraim Silva and Capoeira Esperança.
When he spotted members of Hartford’s Proud Drum and Dance Drill Corps in a recent parade, Galm noticed they were playing some of the rhythms he taught them at a past Samba Fest. “We are making connections,” he said.
