September 8, 2022
The Vern Riffe Center for the Arts (VRCFA) at Shawnee State University has been selected to partner with regional arts partner, Arts Midwest, for the 2022-2025 World Fest cycle. During this three-year partnership, Arts Midwest will bring six music ensembles from inside and outside the United States to Portsmouth for week-long residences. Portsmouth is the only Ohio community to be invited to participate in this cycle.
“We are truly excited about this wonderful program coming here, as we reach out to interact with various segments of our community” said Dr. Stanley Workman Jr., Artistic Director of the VRCFA.
During each residency, the ensembles will lead workshops and concerts that interact with the Portsmouth region. Ensembles will feature Inuit, Colombian, Finnish, Ghanaian, Puerto Rican, and Israeli culture and music, as they know it.
This year’s World Fest residencies will feature two evening concerts for the public. The first concert will take place on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. and will feature Pamyua – a musical group from Alaska that showcases Inuit culture through music and dance performance. The second concert will be held on Thursday Apr. 13, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. and will feature Okaidja Afroso – a native of Ghana who weaves together cross-culture influences to create hypnotic sonic landscapes.
To learn more about upcoming performances at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts, visit vrcfa.com.