Program / Event Details

Raíces Negras – Cuban Charanga

Join contemporary classical flutist Ceylon Mitchell and members of the Raíces Negras music collective to explore the percussion section instruments and the composite rhythmic elements that form the groove accompaniment in Cuban and Brazilian music, born from the rich amalgamation of Spanish/Portuguese folk music formulas and African Rhythms. This workshop will include live and recorded musical examples that pay homage to famous influential Cuban flutists, including Eduardo “Richard” Egues and Orlando “Maraca” Valle, as well as Afro-Brazilian, Pixinguinha. Try your hand at maintaining ostinato rhythms on percussive instruments like the clave, güiro, and congas while the main lead instruments like flute and piano improvise over these grooves. Older students with instrument experience will gather and trade measures of improvisations, incorporate common rhythmic fragments, motives, and melodic riffs, and eventually venture into free improvisation.

Performers

Dr. Ceylon Mitchell, flute
Sarah Taylor Cook, vocals
Chuco Mendoza, bass
Joshua Jenkins, piano
Bruno Lucini, percussion

Sound/Backline provided by artist.

Fees are for daytime school programs in Maryland, Washington, DC, and northern Virginia only.

Evening, weekend, workshop, and non-school fees differ – please contact us.

Additional travel fees apply.

About Ceylon Mitchell

Flutist Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II leads the modern Cuban charanga ensemble Raíces Negras in an homage to the beloved Cuban music group Orquesta Aragón and its songwriter, Richard “La Flauta Mágica” Egües. The performance features danzón classics like “Almendra” and “Pare Cochero,” showcasing the fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms and European classical instruments. A celebration of traditional Cuban forms and Latin jazz, Mitchell and the award-winning musicians of Raíces Negras bring audiences of all ages to their feet.

Biography

The Woodwinds Department Chair with Levine Music, Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II serves the arts ecosystem as a multi-hyphenate arts leader: contemporary classical flutist, educator, and entrepreneur. On a mission to celebrate marginalized identities in music, especially Black and Latine voices, his diverse repertoire spans from Western European classical to living cultural traditions across the Americas, along with everything in between.

Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Dr. Mitchell earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Maryland School of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Sarah Frisof. He has performed in venues such as Boston’s Symphony Hall, the Music Center at Strathmore, the Arts Club of Washington, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with Robert Glasper.