FREE + OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
The Untempered Ensemble includes members of Indigenous American (Wabanaki and Nipissing), Asian-American, and African-American descent. The musicians play a wide variety of wind, string and percussion instruments from six different continents offering audiences the opportunity to form a world view of sound. The Ensemble is a living embodiment of the oral tradition as members span generations with artists in their 70s and 80s playing alongside those in their 20s and 30s. The Untempered Ensemble, with links to each member, includes:
(Leader) Bill Cole – Asian Double Reeds, Australian Didgeridoo, African Wooden Flute
Joseph Daley – Low Brass
Warren Smith – African, Caribbean and Western Percussion
Taylor Ho Bynum – Cornet, Trumpet, Conch Shell
Ras Moshe Burnette – Saxophones & Flute
Althea SullyCole – West African Kora
Mali Obomsawin – Acoustic Bass
Olivia Shortt - Baritone Saxophone
The Untempered Ensemble is believed to be among the first Guest Artists to perform at the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers. As members of minority communities, the musicians recognize the significance of performing in a space that is dedicated to honoring those whose presence has often been rendered invisible by the retelling of history. The Jefferson School was a Freedmen’s School that opened in 1865 and was the only Black high school in Charlottesville until 1951. Conversely, the Rotunda, and the University as a whole, remained a “Whites Only” space until the late 1950s. The musicians wish to reclaim these historical places and introduce audience members to the power of global music in a modern age.
Each of the three venues has unique acoustical properties and each performance will contain unique pieces composed with those spaces in mind. No concert program will be repeated.