On this page, you can find the Culminating Experience (CE) Projects for all graduate students from the Berklee College of Music master’s program Global Jazz from 2015 – present. Click on any title for more information and access to the full paper and other deliverables (if available).
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Human Revolution: the music of Love, Nature, Spirituality and the Unknown
Sofia Almeida
2026This Culminating Experience Project is a reflection on a core philosophy encountered at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI): the profound relationship between music and the healing process. Inspired by our exploration of music as a vehicle for change, this work draws upon Wayne Shorter's Buddhist-informed perspective that personal transformation can ignite a broader Human Revolution. As I concluded my time at BGJI, I embarked on my own journey of inner change, a process examined in this presentation through the lenses of Love, Nature, Spirituality, and the Unknown.
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Voices of Belonging:Reimagining Italian Folk Traditions from Lazio and Puglia through Composition, Memory, and Social Reflection
Valerio Apuzzo
2026Voices of Belonging examines selected vocal traditions from Lazio and Puglia between 1950 and 1970 and explores how they can inform contemporary jazz composition. The project began from my need, as an Italian musician living abroad, to reconnect with the voices, places, and cultural memory of my country. It addresses the growing distance between younger generations and oral traditions connected to labor, courtship, ritual, celebration, and community life. I argue that these traditions should be understood not as fixed repertoires but as living social practices. Contemporary jazz can engage with them responsibly by transforming oral processes, vocal gestures, collective interaction, and social meanings rather than simply borrowing melodies. My methodology combined literature, archival recordings, fieldwork, interviews, musical analysis, collaborative rehearsals, and studio recording. The interviews showed that tradition is learned through embodied listening, variation follows local rhythmic-melodic grammars, and transcription is interpretive. I translated these findings into four compositions: Itela Na Su Po, Cantarello, Lazio and Puglia, and Appartenenza. The project also proposes educational spaces where these traditions can be studied, questioned, performed, and renewed.
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The Paraguay River: Environmental Awareness and Global Jazz
Magalí Verónica Benítez González
2026In recent years, the Paraguay River has experienced a historic drought caused by climate change and ineffective environmental policies. Inspired by this ecological crisis, my project uses global jazz as a medium to raise awareness about the importance of preserving this vital natural resource. To inform the creative process, I researched the drought through academic and journalistic sources, analyzed an interview with a local fisherman, and explored bird sounds through digital sound libraries. Drawing on BGJI concepts, I composed original music that integrates motifs inspired by birdsong and rhythmic speech patterns derived from the interview. After rehearsing the material with my ensemble, I recorded the project in the studio. Through this process, I gained a deeper understanding of the Paraguay River’s significance to Paraguay and its connection to the country’s cultural identity. By combining traditional Paraguayan musical elements with global jazz practices, this work seeks both to promote environmental awareness and to expand the expressive possibilities of the musical field.
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The Jota of Callosa d'en Sarrià: Living Tradition and Dialogue with Jazz
Daniel Buades
2026This project, The Jota of Callosa d’en Sarrià: Living Tradition and Dialogue with Jazz, explores how a living folk tradition can be reimagined through Global Jazz while preserving its emotional and cultural identity. It is based on Les Danses de Sant Jaume, a communal celebration from my hometown in Spain, and reflects on how music, dance, and shared memory shape cultural identity and continuity. The research combines my personal experience within this tradition with historical sources and archival material, together with my studies in jazz composition at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. The project does not aim to replicate the tradition, but to draw from it as a living source of musical, rhythmic, and cultural material. This material is then reinterpreted and transformed into four original compositions, each emerging from specific elements of Les Danses and reimagined from a contemporary perspective. Musically, melodic and rhythmic material is extracted directly from the tradition and developed through improvisation, harmonic expansion, textural transformation, and BGJI concepts. Overall, the project presents tradition as something alive and evolving, shaped by people and participation. It reflects on how artistic practice can create a dialogue between heritage and contemporary creation, turning memory into musical expression.
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the global strum: a history of the ʻUkulele (and the ukulele)
Tyler Donkoh-Halm
2026My Culminating experience project is entitled, “The Global Strum: a History of the ‘Ukulele (and the Ukulele)”. With this project, I wanted to bring awareness to the all too unknown story of the Hawaiian national instrument that is the ‘Ukulele. I wanted to explore this not only to learn more about the instrument myself as a ‘Ukulele principal, but also to bring attention to why an instrument this well known globally has a story that so few actually know. I also believe that the ‘Ukulele has become a notable example of historical and cultural erasure, and through normalizing doing research and learning about the ‘Ukulele’s history, we can begin to undo the societal norm and better appreciate gifts from other heritages. The instrument has deep ties to protest, national identity, and so much more that has been almost completely erased from its history after the instrument arrived in the mainland United States.I’ve researched this topic through many books, articles, essays, and also through hands-on interviews with important figures in the ‘Ukulele community that I met in my time in Hawaii for the International Ukulele Festival of Hawaii back in July of 2024. With this knowledge I learned about, I created my CE compositions, each of them directly representing a key period in the timeline of the ‘Ukulele’s story. After the drafting process, I workshopped some of these compositions in my Global Jazz Ensembles, and better incorporated BGJI concepts into the framework of my pieces. Through this project, I’ve learned that even the story of just one instrument is so complicated and complex, however so necessary to learn about in order to truly appreciate an instrument and the peoples and cultures that it represents. I believe this project not only informs, but also calls society to better educate themselves on the things that are taken for granted; there is almost always a greater unknown story behind everything.
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Venturing Beyond The United States' Artificial Boundaries of Cultural Separation
Ben Fig
2026This project seeks to use music to inform people of some of the ways that our built environment influences cultural and empathetic connection. The default landscape associated with the United States is the suburb, with over 50% of the nation’s population residing in suburbs [33]. The way that many suburbs are designed encourages isolation, with areas designed around car-centric living neglecting the neighborhood’s own livability and accessibility. People living in car-dependent areas are shown to have lower social capital, engaging less with their communities [21]. Additionally, suburbs are highly racially segregated, historically on purpose [27]. Poor community design and the resulting lower social capital diminish the positive effect of cultural and social conductors such as music [18]. I composed four original musical pieces to portray themes relating to the suburb as a socially and culturally isolating environment, while contrasting them with musical themes inspired by more collectivistic living. The compositions are based around research of suburban history and statistics, as well as sociological and ethnomusicological research. The project’s approach of juxtaposing novel musical structures against a contrary theme of cultural isolation promotes a new way of understanding the societal effects of suburbanization.
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Curiosity as Resistance: Shifting from racial microaggressions to a flourishing AAPI community
Yujin Han
2026This culminating experience project, titled "Curiosity as Resistance: Shifting from Racial Microaggressions to a Flourishing AAPI Community," originated from my personal experiences with racial microaggressions as a Korean international student in the United States. From there, my focus broadened into studying Asian American history and understanding how modern forms of hate and microaggressions continue to persist. Grounded in the project’s core philosophy of using curiosity as resistance, the presentation features five of my original compositions, each representing a different stage of individual and systemic AAPI hate, as well as my personal journey of transforming that pain into resistance. This project aims to raise awareness of AAPI hate, encourage collective community action, and ultimately contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society.
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Eden Unfinished: The Empire Within
Samuel Knight
2026Eden Unfinished: The Empire Within explores a question that emerged through both musical composition and interdisciplinary research: if humanity has spent thousands of years attempting to build a better world, why do we repeatedly recreate domination, rivalry, fragmentation, and scapegoating under new names and new systems?
Drawing on the work of thinkers including René Girard, Hannah Arendt, Reinhold Niebuhr, Alasdair MacIntyre, Priya Satia, William Dalrymple, Hilary Lawson, and others, this project examines recurring patterns that appear across empires, revolutions, ideologies, technologies, and political movements. Rather than treating violence, domination, and social fragmentation as isolated historical failures, the project investigates whether they emerge from deeper and more persistent tendencies within human beings themselves.
The accompanying portfolio of five original compositions approaches these questions through music rather than argument alone. Each work expresses a different aspect of the thesis, including mimetic rivalry, ideological certainty, conscience, reconciliation, technological power, and the possibility of genuine human relationship. Musical processes such as accumulation, fragmentation, improvisation, collective listening, and communal performance become ways of embodying ideas that cannot be fully expressed through language.
Alongside historical and philosophical analysis, the project also examines figures who attempted to resist these recurring mechanisms. Particular attention is given to the examples of Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, and Desmond Tutu, not primarily as religious authorities, but as individuals who pursued alternative responses to conflict through forgiveness, non-retaliation, reconciliation, and radical concern for others. The central claim of the project is that the mechanisms of domination are not confined to particular groups, nations, or historical periods. They are human. The question that remains is whether human beings can learn to recognise the patterns within themselves, and whether another way of living together is possible.
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"Cuando vuelva a tu lado": A Journey of Self-Discovery Through the Music of María Grever
Reese Pike
2026This project focuses on countering historical erasure by telling the story of Mexican-American composer María Grever and my own great-grandfather, Barney Rees. It specifically highlights the contributions of women composers to bolero and challenges notions of who composed popular music in the United States in the mid-20th century. While María Grever was extremely well-known as a composer while she was alive, her story has since been erased from musical narratives in the United States. Through revisiting the music of María Grever and composing music inspired by her compositions and my family history, I plan to combat erasure of women in musical narratives, embark on personal reflection, and explore the converging of bolero and jazz in Grever’s life and work. I grounded my work by researching Grever’s life, reading about the historical, political, and cultural context of bolero in Mexico City and New York City in the 1920s-1940s, exploring documentation of Grever’s career from the era, and speaking to relatives and looking at family photos and documents about my great-grandfather. I then used this research to compose original music incorporating BGJI concepts like tetrachords, Zero Gravity, and comprovisation. I recorded my compositions in a studio, collaborating with other musicians and lyricists. As a result, I have learned a great deal about what it means to uplift marginalized voices, tell stories that have been forgotten, promote the contributions of women in music, and even who I am and where I come from.
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Women Revolutionaries
Fall Raye
2026Through investigating the lives of four revolutionary women from across the globe - Assata Shakur, Leila Khaled, Sylvia Rivera, and Constance Markievicz, - I found inspiration and a path towards resistance. This project will be investigating the ways in which these women practiced revolution, community care, personal morals, and direct action against facism. Through learning about the lives of revolutionaries, a set of tools will become clear as to how to resist fascism, and we can use their stories to inspire the next generation of revolutionaries. In this paper, we will look at the historical contexts and stories of each of these four women while discussing their impact on their communities. Specifically, how they were fighting against fascism in the name of their social cause, for liberation, equal rights, land, etc. We will also discuss the methods used for composing pieces for each of these women. Lyrics, instrumentation, and overall feeling lead each of these pieces to be very different but connected dedications to each revolutionary. Through writing these compositions and studying the revolutionary actions of these women, I hope to inspire others in learning history, staying politically aware, and creating more art to manifest the world we all deserve to live in.
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Migration, identity and sound ‘how Puerto Ricans and Cubans contributed to Jazz’
David Rosado Ortiz
2026My CE project explores the rhythmic and musical contributions Puerto Ricans and Cubans made in Jazz. It is a journey that takes us from the 1920’s all the way to the 21st century. In this project we can learn about the causes of Puerto Rican and Cuban mass migration into the United States, mainly New York City. From hurricanes to economic crisis and a lack of job opportunities to arriving at a place where they faced prejudice, stereotypes, racism, and discrimination. With this information we can put into perspective how Puerto Ricans and Cubans had a very difficult path into integrating to the United States. However, even though they struggled a lot in north American society, they soon made a huge mark in the music scene, specifically in the big bands of the 1930’s, the smaller ensembles and thanks to many artists that I mention in my presentation, they broke color barriers, discrimination, and brought a huge sense of unity and community. I wrote 4 songs that combine the struggles that I mentioned above, the concepts that I learned in the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, my roots in Puerto Rican and Cuban music mixed with Jazz and other folkloric musical expressions which I deeply enjoy, and lots of improvisation. I learned many concepts in the BGJI like the use of Tetrachords, the concept of Zero Gravity, Fear Training and many examples of how music is made in different settings. With this project I hope to contribute with my own experiences and knowledge gained from this wonderful program and through this project make an impact in the world by bringing more unity between cultures, communities and to give back to my people of Puerto Rico.
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"In my country the rain does not know how to rain": Stories from the Valencian Flood
martina sabariego
2026My Culminating Experience project focuses on the devastating flood that struck the Valencia countryside on October 29, 2024, affecting a total of 84 municipalities, resulting in the loss of 238 lives and the destruction of hundreds of homes across several communities. As someone who comes from one of the affected areas, my personal connection to this tragedy has been the primary motivation behind this project. It seeks to explore the causes of the disaster, examine strategies for improving preparedness and resilience against future floods, and investigate the role of jazz as a tool for healing and coping in the aftermath of catastrophe. Through the lens of global jazz, the project aims to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change and highlight the ways music can foster recovery, reflection, and community resilience during times of climate emergency. I’ve researched the topic by reading scientific papers, books and articles, watching documentaries about the flooding and interviewing jazz personalities that also suffered the catastrophe. I have composed original music that integrates BGJI concepts and explores four central themes: warning and awareness, loss, reconnection and realization, and community. Some of the concepts I applied to my compositions are the idea of darkening and brightening, the usage of tetrachordial theory, and incorporating references from Valencia traditional music and European classical music, and I recorded the music in Studio A at Berklee College of Music. I have composed original music that integrates BGJI concepts and explores four central themes: warning, loss, reconnection and realization, and community. The conclusions of this project are that it is something very telling about human nature the fact that natural catastrophes bring people together like they do. Music can serve as a therapy to healing, and the need to do music can be a response to move the body, release tension and find peace with the instrument and with oneself. A sense of community is essential to alleviate the pain caused by the effects of climate change and to confront these. We have also learned that being rooted and attached to a place are powerful tools of resistance and resilience as they connect us to our social and natural environment. That is why we need cultural expressions, common spaces and quality education that work towards social cohesion and promote cultural diversity, which is already a reality in our global societies.
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Reawakening: A Musical Exploration of Compassion in Modern Society
Ryota Sasaki
2026Reawakening: A Musical Exploration of Compassion in Modern Society is a collection of four original compositions that explore the Buddhist concepts of Four Immeasurables which encompass compassion, human connection, and emotional reflection through contemporary jazz composition. Originally inspired by my personal experiences with comparison, anxiety, and self-doubt, I discovered the emotional challenges commonly faced by many young artists today. This project seeks to transform these experiences into musical expression. The Buddhist concept of the Four Immeasurables draws Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy, and Equanimity, which serve as creative themes for four compositions. Rather than presenting Buddhist teachings, these concepts are used as a cultural and philosophical framework through which to explore both human aspiration and human imperfection. Influenced by the writings of Shinran, founder of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism, the project acknowledges that emotions such as attachment, jealousy, and comparison are unavoidable aspects of the human experience. The creative component consists of four works for string quartet, and jazz saxophone quartet. Most melodic material was initially developed through singing, reflecting the human voice as a direct expression of emotion and human sensibility. The compositions incorporate BGJI concepts including tetrachord expansion, Abakuá rhythms, Zero Gravity, meditation, comprovisation, and collective improvisation. Three of the four works feature fully orchestrated scores that integrate string writing. Through this project, I explored new possibilities in composition, orchestration, and improvisation while developing a healthier relationship with my own ego, comparison, and insecurities as a musician. Ultimately, Reawakening demonstrates how music can serve as a space for compassion, reflection, and human connection in contemporary society.
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The Jazz of Becoming: Music as a Tool of Liberation from Intergenerational Chains of Violence
Mikayla Shirley
2026The Jazz of Becoming: Music as a tool for liberation from Intergenerational Chains of Violence is a CE project centered on my own experiences growing up in a family with a deep history of cycles of abuse and breaking out. It is understood that individuals with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have an increased risk of abusing their own children, thereby perpetuating the cycle of violence directly. Also patterns of abuse, neglect, and trauma are passed from one generation to the next in various ways genetically and socially. Therefore violence and trauma can become cyclical, learned, and internalized. The outcome is trauma and abusive behaviors reenacted across generations, often unconsciously. My personal narrative is proof that Jazz music was a major way to cope from childhood trauma and my way out to break the cycle. Singing for my own survival to self soothe and as an act of resistance. Learning the language of Jazz through oral traditions on the scene helped me connect and communicate with others in a deeper way than I could socially because of cognitive disability and trauma effects. Improvisation was a therapeutic practice that helped me gain autonomy and selfhood. I think this is why I was drawn to the blues because I felt it was the only music where I was allowed to cry. The title The Jazz of Becoming is a reflection of how this music helped me gain autonomy, and the thing that was becoming is me.
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The Sound of Propaganda
Jure Slapar
2026This culminating experience project explores how modern systems of influence shape public perception and how composition and improvisation can encourage greater awareness of these mechanisms. Rather than examining the history of propaganda, the project focuses on how influence operates in contemporary society through mass media, digital networks, recommendation algorithms, and information systems. Drawing on the works of Walter Lippmann, Edward Bernays, Yochai Benkler, Robert Faris, and Hal Roberts, as well as psychological research on the illusory truth effect, the project examines how engineered persuasion, network amplification, and algorithmic reinforcement shape perception, often in ways that remain largely invisible. It’s aim is not to promote a particular viewpoint, but to encourage critical reflection on how information is produced, circulated, and consumed. The research combined the study of literature on propaganda, public opinion, networked communication, psychology, and artistic philosophy with an original creative process. These concepts were translated into four original compositions for jazz ensemble. The first three explore different mechanisms of contemporary influence, while the final composition responds by exploring awareness and the possibility of independent thought. The music is unified through tetrachordal structures, multi-tonic harmonic organization, loops, windows as a way of transitioning between musical ideas, improvisation, and a sonic palette that reflects the character of each composition. By connecting theoretical research with artistic practice, this project demonstrates how musical composition can engage with complex social and political ideas, encouraging listeners to reflect more consciously on the information environments that shape contemporary society.
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Brass and Barriers: The Role of HBCU Marching Bands in Expanding Educational Opportunities for Black Students
Trevon Sullen-Trevon
2026Brass and Barriers is a Culminating Experience project that examines the systemic barriers to higher education and Black students' ability to overcome these barriers through their participation in Marching Bands at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This project examines the history, culture, and impact of HBCU band programs in addition to the support that they provide to students. The project also highlights the “pipeline” that leads students to join these ensembles when they get to college. I was motivated to research this topic because this style of playing is connected to my musical development. As I got older I started to realize that these bands were more than music ensembles. They give students skills to succeed in college and life. I got to see that despite systemic underfunding and legislative barriers, HBCU marching bands have played a vital role in empowering institutions to educate generations of Black leaders while preserving and shaping cultural traditions. I gathered information on this topic by reading national archives, news articles, conducting interviews, observing rehearsals, and watching various documentaries. Acquiring this knowledge helped me to build parallel timelines that showed both legislation and the development of HBCU bands. I used the historical timeline to inspire my compositions through instrumentation, styles of playing, and melodic choices. Through this project, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of the history and cultural importance of HBCU bands. I hope for this research to highlight the beautiful history of these bands and give them the ability to continue to grow.
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A Home Unknown: The Haitian Diaspora, Identity and Music
Sterlyn Termine
2026A Home Unknown: The Haitian Diaspora, Identity & Music, examines the relationship between the Haitian diaspora, cultural identity, and musical expression through the lens of first-generation Haitian-American artist, Sterlyn Termine. Through historical research, musical analysis, and original compositions, this Culminating Experience project examines how globalization, colonialism, political instability, and ongoing violence have contributed to the displacement of millions of Haitians and the cultural disconnection experienced throughout the diaspora. Sterlyn’s four original compositions reflect themes of displacement, resilience, healing, and belonging. These works incorporate influences from Haitian and African musical traditions, Jazz, and BGJI musical concepts to explore questions of heritage and self-discovery. Ultimately, this project demonstrates how music can bridge cultural gaps, foster greater historical understanding, and inspire social activism in communities.
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The Multidimentionality of Music In Haiti: Spiritual and Cultural Contexts: Voodoo, Christian, Dance, and 'Mizik Klasik"
Caleb Texier
2026This project explores the diverse roles that music plays in Haitian society through spiritual, cultural, emotional, and social perspectives. Haitian music is deeply connected to the nation’s history, identity, and collective experiences. By examining four major musical contexts: Vodou music, Christian music, Haitian dance music, and Mizik Klasik (Western-influenced classical music). This study highlights how music functions as a powerful means of expression, communication, and cultural preservation. The research component draws upon scholarly sources in Haitian culture, ethnomusicology, spirituality, and music psychology to investigate how music influences human emotions, beliefs, and community life. The creative component consists of four original compositions inspired by the characteristics and values of each musical tradition. These works incorporate compositional techniques and concepts studied through the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, while maintaining strong connections to Haitian musical heritage. Ultimately, this project seeks to promote greater understanding and appreciation of Haiti’s rich musical landscape. By recognizing the contributions of diverse musical and spiritual traditions, the study encourages respect, unity, and dialogue among communities. It demonstrates that Haitian music is a multidimensional cultural force that reflects the nation’s history, resilience, spirituality, and evolving artistic identity.
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What I Carry: Finding My Voice Through the Piri
Jang Yeyun
2026What I Carry is a creative research project that examines how I came to understand my musical identity through the relationship between Korean cultural heritage, personal experience, and artistic practice. Centered on the Korean traditional wind instrument, the piri, this project investigates how Korean traditional music can coexist with jazz while maintaining its own musical identity. Rather than treating tradition and jazz as separate musical worlds, I explore how they can exist together as parts of a unified artistic voice. This research combines ethnomusicological literature, musical analysis, and original composition. Drawing on Timothy Rice’s discussion of music and identity, as well as studies of the piri’s expressive techniques, I examined how the instrument’s flexible pitch, timbre, and ornamentation contribute to its voice-like qualities. These ideas informed four original compositions, each representing a different stage of my artistic journey—from uncertainty and self-discovery to realization and integration. Throughout the compositional process, I also incorporated concepts developed at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, including comprovisation, tetrachord-based harmonic structures, and creative improvisation. Through this project, I realized that music is not only a means of expression but also a way of discovering identity. The piri became a medium through which I recognized that my Korean musical background and my jazz practice are not conflicting identities but complementary parts of a single artistic voice. More broadly, this project suggests that traditional musical practices can continue to evolve through intercultural collaboration while maintaining their own artistic identity, expanding the possibilities of jazz without compromising the integrity of tradition.
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Japanese Music Upon Our Global Living Earth -Resonance of Japan: From Gagaku to a World Joined as One-
Sen Yoshimura
2026The project which is deeply rooted in a personal and cultural response to a massive earthquake and its influence in my home country, Japan. Certain aspects of traditional Japanese culture are disappearing due to recent earthquakes and Tsunami. This project is to advocate for these important traditions through music that blends global jazz and traditional Japanese music. Countries are being disconnected to avoid the negative environmental influence from other counties. Thus, the goal of this project is that people around the world be proud of themselves and join hands with others to create “one” future. With the aGtude of preserving the old and nurture the new, we want to create a beautiful future that cares the past. In order to achieve this goal, I used the aspect of Japanese court music, Gagaku with the Global Jazz.
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Embraced by the Flowing Water: Oud as a Queer Ontology
Bahar Badieitabar
2025Embraced by the Flowing Water: Oud as a Queer Ontology, is a multi- composition, research-based artistic exploration that imagines the oud as a fluid, shape- shifting identity, and queer body. Drawing from Sara Ahmed’s Queer Phenomenology, which explores how bodies orient and reorient in space, the project examines the oud’s historical disappearance from Iran, its transformation, and its evolving role in creative and jazz music. Through original compositions, critical research, arrangements, and collaborative performances, the project repositions the oud as both a soloist and a rhythm section instrument. Each piece engages with themes of memory, disorientation, migration, and identity. This project contributes to the oud’s growing presence in creative and jazz music while also initiating a pedagogical effort to transcribe and arrange early Iranian classical music repertoire, expanding the instrument’s future possibilities.
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Marimba: Echoes of the Jungle's Heartbeat
Samuel Cerra
2025This project emerged from a moment of introspection and self-discovery that strengthened my vision of unity and gave me a renewed sense of purpose. Its significance extends beyond my career, touching on my artistry and personal identity—driven by a deep need to reconnect with my cultural roots. It became a means to challenge long-standing stereotypes and the feeling of shame often associated with folkloric traditions, particularly the dialect and music of my region in Southern Italy and the traditional music of the Colombian Pacific coast. I dedicated my entire master’s program to exploring music, language, and instruments—such as the marimba de chonta—that are often overlooked in academic contexts. By placing these cultural narratives in dialogue, the project seeks to create new common grounds, encourage stylistic innovation, and build a repertoire rooted in both cultural preservation and creative evolution. It also offers an alternative to traditions that have been marginalized or fossilized by historical and social discrimination. This experience deeply reshaped my artistic vision, learning process, and worldview. It marked the beginning of a lifelong journey of growth, grounded in curiosity and empathy. Above all, It serves as both a personal and collective call to action for musicians to use their art in the service of global understanding and transformation.
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Ghost Stories: Towards a Surrealist, Black Feminist Body Politic
Devon Gates
2025Drawing from Black feminist and radical thinkers including Audre Lorde, David Drake, Nikki Giovanni, bell hooks, Toni Morrison, and Octavia Butler, this project explores themes of embodiment and liberation, through the lens of a "ghost perspective", asking: how can the catharsis of dealing with feeling “unalive” as Black bodies actually help one feel more embodied, less alone, and better able to live authentically?
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No Land's Man
Matt Greenwood
2025No Land’s Man is a full-length album and artistic exploration of cultural identity, heritage, and musical synthesis. Born and raised in Zimbabwe but of European descent, I navigate the tension of not fully identifying with either African or Western culture. This project merges traditional Zimbabwean mbira music and African percussion with contemporary jazz composition and improvisation, seeking to create a new musical language rooted in reverence and authenticity. Rather than presenting a traditional or superficial fusion, I aimed to integrate African sounds as essential compositional elements while reflecting my personal experience of cultural ambiguity. The process involved the construction of a custom chromatic mbira to extend the instrument’s harmonic possibilities. The resulting nine-track album marks the beginning of a lifelong journey to foster musical dialogue between traditions and communities and has been transformative both artistically and personally.
