Rising from the Roots: A Call for Empowerment in My Home Country, Slovakia
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Abstract
In her Culminating Experience Rising from the Roots, Slovak flutist, singer, and composer Mária Reháková fused Slovak folk music with Global Jazz to explore national identity, cultural resilience, and music as a tool for social change. The project involved in-depth research into Slovak folklore and the contemporary political context, compositional development using jazz techniques such as rhythmic layering, zero gravity, and comprovisation, and collaboration with a diverse ensemble of improvising musicians. Visual artworks created in partnership with Slovak painter Pavol Rehák accompanied the project, contributing to its multidisciplinary character. The work resulted in five original compositions, a studio recording, and a public presentation combining music and visual storytelling. It demonstrated how traditional music can be reimagined through a global jazz language, offering a new model for culturally rooted, socially engaged jazz. The project also led to significant personal transformation, deepening the artist’s understanding of Slovak heritage and the healing potential of music. It now lays the foundation for future educational initiatives that will guide young Slovak musicians to explore their cultural identity through creative expression and contemporary global forms.
Publication Date
7-1-2025
Campus
Boston Campus
Keywords
Slovak folk music; Global Jazz; cultural identity; multidisciplinary performance; music and social change
Recommended Citation
Pembery, Mária. “Rising from the Roots: A Call for Empowerment in My Home Country, Slovakia.” Master's thesis, Berklee College of Music, 2025. https://remix.berklee.edu/graduate-studies-global-jazz/187.