The 15th annual Tamarack Hollow Berkshire Drum Fest, themed “Honoring Ancestors,” will take place on Saturday, October 12, at the Windsor Town Hall in Windsor.
This year’s festival will feature a variety of drum, song, and cultural classes, led by master drummer and cultural ambassador of the Malinke people, Namory Keita, from Sangbarala, Guinea, West Africa. Additionally, there will be a community performance showcasing Namory Keita, Aimee Gelinas, Dan Cohen, members of Gaia Roots, the Berkshire Rhythm Keepers, Youth Alive, and the Offbeat Womyn Drummers. The event is dedicated to Chris “Stix” Hairston, a master drummer and former co-leader of the Berkshire Rhythm Keepers, as well as the beloved drum fest matriarch, Georgene “Cuffy G” Gelinas. Commemorative anniversary t-shirts will also be available at the festival.
Drum classes will be held from 10:30 AM to 12 PM (limited space) and 1 PM to 2:30 PM (the afternoon class is fully booked). The intergenerational, multi-level drum class with Namory Keita requires registration.
At 3 PM, there will be an intergenerational community concert featuring Namory Keita, Aimee Gelinas, Dan Cohen, and members of Gaia Roots, the Berkshire and Valley Rhythm Keepers, Youth Alive, and the Offbeat Womyn Drummers. This concert is free, with a suggested donation of $20 or more at the door.
The drum fest serves as an annual community gathering to celebrate the spirit of the drum. Classes will be led by master drummer Fola Namory Keita, while Aimee Gelinas, a master woman drummer with over 30 years of experience in West African and Caribbean drumming, will co-lead the Berkshire Rhythm Keepers, a multi-generational group of drummers aged 17 to 90. Youth Alive, a Pittsfield-based drum and step team, features BIPOC youth performance artists, while the Offbeat Womyn Drummers, also led by Aimee Gelinas, is a multi-generational women’s drum group from the Connecticut River Valley.
Proceeds from the festival will support the artists and the Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center’s year-round environmental education programs for all ages, as well as the “Raise the Roof” fund aimed at building a sustainable nature and cultural education center and conserving 88 acres of highland boreal forest in Windsor, MA, for future generations.
Related Topics
- What Frequency is a Snare Drum?
- Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation Artist Anthony Joseph to Host Drum-Making Workshop at Capilano University
- Why Do Drummers Put a Pillow in the Bass Drum?
