Songs from the African Diaspora:
A Community Sing with Benjamin Mertz
Free for students/youth under 25;
$10-20 suggested donation otherwise
Come sing songs from Africa and the African diaspora with your community! No singing experience necessary; Benjamin will lead us in multi-part songs as we rely on each other for support and we develop a group sound. No RSVP needed, just show up and sing! No one turned away for lack of funds.

Benjamin Mertz is a jazz pianist, composer, and song leader with a specialty in the Black Spiritual tradition. He is a third-generation professional musician; his mother is a jazz and opera singer, and his "grandaddy" was a jazz pianist who worked with the likes of Sarah Vaughan and Charles Mingus. Benjamin leads community sings and musical workshops, exploring music ranging from the African diaspora to civil rights music. He can often be found singing at protests and human rights demonstrations. He is the music director of Skyline Community Church in Oakland and the founder/director of the Joyful Noise! Gospel Singers.

Children are welcome at this event--we love inter-generational gatherings! We ask that children come prepared to participate in the singing (yay!) or to sit quietly with a parent; parallel activities for kids will not be provided. Thank you!
Email humboldtSINGS@gmail.com for more info.