The Nile Project Artist Residency came to the Dodge Room in Reed Campus Center on Monday, April 6, from 1:40 pm – 3:10 p.m. to share their music and work with students.

According to their website, the Nile Project unites artists from 11 countries along the Nile basin (Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and beyond) to create one unified sound. The music is produced by a variety of instruments, including the masenko from Ethiopia, the ney and oud from Egypt, and the adungu from Uganda, in addition to violin, saxophone, bass guitar, and vocalists singing in all 11 languages.

The on-campus field trip was required for students who are enrolled in Wind Ensemble and String Ensemble and was arranged by faculty members Kim Evelti and Ben Demerath.

On Tuesday, April 7, from 6:30-10:30 p.m., students enrolled in World Civilization, String & Wind Ensemble, and American Music Roots will head to the Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for a performance by the Nile Project. 

Mr. Demerath noted that the Nile River has been “the cause for concern and conflict due to political change and population increases in the countries along its banks. The Nile Project performance [has] a goal to use music to open up dialogues and address these concerns.”