Creative Alliance provides venue space for
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This special Tianquiztli Market celebrates Latin American Heritage! We close the street in front of Creative Alliance for a celebration of Latin American flavors, art, music, and traditions that have been passed down through the generations and are treasured here in Baltimore. Enjoy live performances, music, vendors, and traditional workshops that reflect the colors, sounds, textures, and flavors of many Latin American countries.
Argentine accordionist, composer, and researcher Alejandro Brittes, who will tour in the US this October, has been declared one of the foremost contemporary chamamé ambassadors and innovators. Born of the centuries-long interaction between ritual practices of indigenous Guaraní and the Baroque music influences brought by Jesuits in the Mission period (16th to 18th Centuries), chamamé can be conceived of as a ritual that seeks to communicate with the Earth and the Universe and maintain harmony among humans, through music and dance that lead participants to moments of ecstatic trance. Often this ecstasy is viscerally expressed by participants through a sapucay, a piercing, spontaneous ancestral yell to release strong emotions pent up inside.
Award-winning vocalist, composer, and educator Kavita Shah’s latest album, Cape Verdean Blues, is the culmination of a diaspora’s quest to find a spiritual home. The carefully curated album of traditional Cape Verdean music is also a tribute to the charismatic and unapologetically individual artist Cesária Évora.
A rare live performance by the Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra, a nine-piece ensemble of six horns, piano, bass, and drums led by Baltimore bass clarinetist and composer Todd Marcus, one of the few jazz artists worldwide to focus primarily on the bass clarinet. The band features lush and intricate original compositions that often feature influences of Middle Eastern music reflecting Marcus' Egyptian-American heritage. Started in 2003, the ensemble includes musicians from Baltimore, New York, Knoxville, St. Louis, and Lansing. Albums include the 2006 debut In Pursuit of the 9th Man, 2015’s portrayal of Egypt's Arab Spring revolution called Blues for Tahrir, and 2022’s In the Valley that offers a portrait of modern and ancient Egypt.
The community is invited to join a singing candle-lit procession through the streets of Highlandtown starting at Creative Alliance and stopping by local businesses until arriving at Our Lady of Pompei Church. The night ends with a fiesta, traditional food, performances, raffles, and piñata breaking to celebrate that all of us are welcome here!
Retji, a filmmaker Living in America, wants to reconnect with his African Roots. He goes on a journey back home to Nigeria to learn about his ethnic group, Mupun. Speaking to elders and historians around him, he explores his ancestry and lineage, meditating on scientific findings and oral traditions. His journey unpacks mysteries about the Nok civilization, one of West Africa's earliest complex civilizations.
Bharatanatyam is the oldest Indian classical dance form. It combines body movement with facial expressions and storytelling to create an immersive experience for the dancer and the viewer. The dance is considered a meditative experience with body movements and facial expressions used to convey messages and stories. Traditionally called "temple dance," this art form also delves into ancient Hindu mythology and portrays stories ranging from magical to mundane social situations that remain relevant to this day.
Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing, a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. Masters of traditional Tuvan instruments as well as the art of throat singing, Alash are deeply committed to traditional Tuvan music and culture. At the same time, they are fans of western music. Believing that traditional music must constantly evolve, the musicians subtly infuse their songs with western elements, creating their own unique style that is fresh and new, yet true to their Tuvan musical heritage.
To mark our 10th anniversary, Viva Brasil! expands to a weekend celebration of Brazilian culture! Tonight we celebrate the sound of sunshine! In Brazil, the word bossa is old-fashioned slang for something done with particular charm, natural flair, or innate ability. When it comes to Brazilian music, the first song that might come to mind is "The Girl From Ipanema" penned by songwriter Antônio Carlos Jobim and performed by singer Astrud Gilberto, guitarist João Gilberto, and saxophonist Stan Getz. That song is a flagship in the Brazilian genre bossanova, which translates to "new style" or "new trend." It emerged in the 1950s and 60s combining elements of samba—a popular music genre in Brazil—with American jazz traditions. We celebrate the great legacy of bossanova this evening, with a debut performance of renowned Brazilian pianist, Marcos Ariel.
Our annual mid-winter Carnival celebration is back, featuring concerts, dancers, capoeira, and more! Carnival dates back to the 1600s and is a celebration of Brazilian life and culture.
Las Cafeteras has taken the music scene by storm with their infectious live performances and have crossed genre and musical borders. Their electric sound and energy has taken them around the world playing shows from Bonnaroo to the Hollywood Bowl, WOMAD New Zealand to Montreal Jazz, and beyond!
This workshop is an interactive learning experience in which the performing arts are harnessed to explore the powerful genre of social justice theatre. Participants will explore WombWork Productions’ unique methodology of social justice theatre, which has been applied in urban communities to share unapologetic truths about the effects of poverty, addiction, institutional racism and trauma. This experience will give each participant the opportunity to have their voices heard, create community through collective expressions, and demonstrate how arts and culture can catalyze the change needed in the world.
Sak pase! Learn to build and decorate your very own Haitian kite in preparation for The BIG Baltimore Kite Fest on Saturday, April 6th! Kite-master Tetpwav Soley and Haitian cultural non-profit, Komite Ayiti, INC. lead us in this special annual workshop. Get hands on with the kite traditions of Haiti and create your own kite from scratch. This workshop consists of tying sticks together, stretching kite fabric, tying knots, and creative decorating to make beautiful traditional Haitian kites!
Sak pase! Learn to build and decorate your very own Haitian kite in preparation for The BIG Baltimore Kite Fest on Saturday, April 6th! Kite-master Tetpwav Soley and Haitian cultural non-profit, Komite Ayiti, INC. lead us in this special annual workshop. Get hands on with the kite traditions of Haiti and create your own kite from scratch. This workshop consists of tying sticks together, stretching kite fabric, tying knots, and creative decorating to make beautiful traditional Haitian kites!
QWANQWA uncovers lesser known traditional sounds from East Africa regions of Ethiopia and beyond—a trance-like chant of the Eritrean tribe of Blen, a psychedelic Somalian cover, an extended Amhara wedding medley, a Mahmoud Ahmed sing-a-long. With Selamnesh Zemene, the Azmari diva powerhouse, at the helm, QWANQWA is a conversation of virtuosos through tight arrangements and extended experimental moments. The live show ranges from intimate to wild, from whispery conversations to full blown rock show, and it is hard to believe these psychedelic sounds are coming from traditional harps, one string fiddle, and violin. Driving and powerful, QWANQWA proves we are living during another Golden Age of Ethiopian music.
Caña Dulce y Caña Brava offers a performance which exhibits the music, poetry, dance and traditional attire of Veracruz, Mexico, interpreted by artists who are beneficiaries of the jarocho culture and noteworthy performers with years of experience on both national and international stages.
The musical partnership between consummate performer Alasdair Fraser, "the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling," and brilliant Californian cellist, Natalie Haas, spans the full spectrum between intimate chamber music and ecstatic dance energy. Over the last 16 years of creating a buzz at festivals and concert halls across the world, they have truly set the standard for fiddle and cello in traditional music. They continue to thrill audiences internationally with their virtuosic playing, their near-telepathic understanding, and the joyful spontaneity and sheer physical presence of their music.
In 2013, a group of jazz players and Korean traditional musicians started to play jam sessions based on traditional Korean folk melodies and shamanistic rhythms, eventually forming SE:UM. The eclectic quintet is composed of saxophonist Hachul Song, trumpeter Jongsang Park, bassist Jaeha Lee, traditional percussionist Minhyeong Lee, and gayageum (twelve-stringed Korean zither) player and music director, Joon Lee. The members of SE:UM have learned to respect one another’s musicalities over the years, and succeeded in breaking down the borders between their musical conventions, finding balance and harmony in their own music.
Komite Ayiti presents Haitian Flag Day, featuring live performances, games, Haitian food, giveaways, and vendors! We can’t wait for you to learn about and share in Haitian history and culture!
Referencing Philadelphia-based human rights attorney, Noura Erakat’s speech on November 3rd, 2023, during the protest in solidarity with Palestine, the title encapsulates the project’s concept and curatorial theme. Gathered is a film program, originally showing at three different Philadelphia venues (Asian Arts Initiative, Vox Populi Gallery, and Making Worlds Bookstore) featuring short films by contemporary independent women and LGBTQ+ Palestinian artists with topics exploring orientalism in the media, love stories, experimental films and queer narratives. With films oscillating between love and rage, the event is meant to create a cathartic grieving space for the SWANA and Palestinian community, as it faces constant grief and dehumanization, to remind us of not only the justification of our collective rage but to stand in awe of all that Palestinians are teaching us daily about love and community.
Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater's jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered acclaim from NPR's Tiny Desk, The Guardian, Rolling Stone and No Depression. Through her artful banjo playing and lush songwriting, Kaia draws on influences rooted in Quebec, the Caribbean, and Appalachia, all of which reflect the diversity of her background; her ties to the Canadian folk music scene; her college years spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia, her father’s experience growing up in Grenada, and her recent work in film composition. Joined by Black Assets, whose southern roots combined with her Baltimore Charm molded her into a powerhouse soul, funk, indie, rock songstress. Black Assets is soul personified and a shining example of how eliminating self-doubt can transform a once negative perception into positivity, she’s captivatingly passionate, and pure talent. This is a night not to be missed!
Seo Jungmin is a Korean Gayageum artist and composer who pushes the boundaries between traditional and contemporary music with her exceptional skills on the 25-string Gayageum. As a member of the renowned Korean traditional music duo Su:m, Seo has earned global recognition through performances at major festivals such as WOMEX, WOMAD, and SXSW.
Presented in partnership with Komite Ayiti! Experience the vibrant fusion of African, French, and Caribbean flavors in this culinary workshop with Dassy Gaspard. In this unique and flavorful workshop, use bold spices and fresh ingredients that reflect the rich culture and history of Haiti. You’ll make dishes deeply connected to Haitian arts and celebrated in the country’s artistic expression and heritage.
Buy your tickets online, in person, or over the phone by calling 410-276-1651. Members save $3 on almost every show!
Our Box Office is currently open from Noon to 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays and one hour before all ticketed events. We accept cash, cards, and checks. Service fees are waived for in-person ticket purchases.
