NC Rhythm Project concert Oct. 23

Arts NC State presents

The NC Rhythm Project

Sunday, October 23, 2022
3 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Tickets available online
$12 general public, $5 students

The NC Rhythm Project was conceived and is led by percussionist Jim Roberts and features some of North Carolina’s most celebrated percussionists, all steeped in global percussion traditions and the world of improvisation. Each performance presents a woven tapestry of sounds, grooves, musical styles, and virtuosity, performed on dozens of instruments from around the world.

Jim Roberts is a North Carolina native and Chapel Hill-based percussionist who has performed or recorded with Victor Wooten, Futureman, the Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble, Billy Dean, Ike Stubblefield, and numerous others. With percussion degrees from East Carolina University and Northern Illinois University, Jim also earned a recording arts diploma and owned and operated Kalimba Studios in Nashville, TN for many years where he produced and engineered recordings for many top performing artists. An award-winning composer, Jim’s professional background also includes performing in the Crossmen DCI drum corps, serving as a high school band director, performing with the North Carolina Symphony, and studying with several notable percussionists from the African diaspora. Returning to North Carolina in 2006, Jim became and is currently a faculty member at Elon University and performs regionally and worldwide with several artists and ensembles. A veteran touring artist, Jim has appeared on many of the world’s finest stages and at several notable festivals.

Beverly Botsford is a cross-cultural percussionist and educator, blending music, movement, and spoken word in solo and ensemble presentations. Beverly celebrates more than 30 years of full-time, professional experience, performing and teaching in an infinite variety of situations. Highlights include 13 years of touring with Chuck Davis and the African American Dance Ensemble as well as more than a decade on the faculty of the American Dance Festival. Since 1998, Beverly has toured internationally with Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon in such venues as the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Umbria Jazz Festival. Television credits include appearances on CBS “Good Morning,” BET Jazz, UNC-TV’s “Our State” and WRAL’s award-winning “Smart Start Kids.” Recent highlights include work with the Urban Bush Women Dance Company as well as performances with Nnenna Freelon in London, Greece, Brazil, Angola, and in Hawaii for President Obama and 200 world heads of state.

Rich Holly holds the position of Executive Director for the Arts at NC State University, and previously served as the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Northern Illinois University where he was also a professor of percussion for 32 years. Active as a performer and clinician, Rich has appeared at schools, colleges, universities, conventions, and festivals throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Asia, and South America. Rich’s classical performing credits include the Lyric Opera of New York and the North Carolina Symphony, and for seventeen seasons Rich was timpanist of the Illinois Chamber Symphony. As a drum set artist he has appeared with a variety of artists and shows, from Bob McGrath and Sesame Street to hip-hop and rap superstars Terminator X and Petey Pablo. At NC State, Rich is the co-founder of and drummer for the faculty rock band The Quadrivium Project. A published author and award-winning composer and record producer, Rich is a past president of the international Percussive Arts Society and remains active serving several arts organizations as a member and officer of their boards.

Born in Salvador, Bahia, Caique Vidal is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and music educator steeped in the Afro-Brazilian tradition. Pursuing his formal musical education, Caique joined the school of arts Liceu de Artes e Oficios da Bahia. At the school, Caique participated in many tours and had the privilege of sharing the stage with internationally acclaimed artists Suzana Baca, Carlinhos Brown, and Gilberto Gil, among many others. Professionally, Caique began working with the Balé Folclórico da Bahia in 2002. For nine years, Caique toured internationally with the group, showcasing Afro-Brazilian culture and traditions on several continents. In 2008, Mikael Mutti invited Caique to join his new project called Percussivo Mundo Novo, mixing new music technologies with traditional Bahian percussion. In 2012 the band did its first international tour to the United States, where they participate at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival. In the same year, Vidal moved to Durham, North Carolina, where he has spearheaded a cultural movement to teach Afro-Brazilian music and culture to professional musicians, public school students, and universities.

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