Farah Siraj, LADAMA, and A Moving Sound will tour the Midwest in 2024 and 2025 as part of Arts Midwest World Fest.
World Fest is a performing arts residency program that tours world music ensembles to communities in the Midwest. For each World Fest season, we partner with one organization in each of the nine states we work in throughout the region, with a focus on rural communities.
Since World Fest’s inception in 2003, we have served more than 650,000 individuals, including 450,000 youth, through more than 280 public performances and 2,300+ educational events.
Take a look below to learn more about the World Fest artists, and then see them in person in a community near you!
Meet the Artists
Farah Siraj
Named Jordan’s Musical Ambassadress, Farah Siraj balances a career that spans the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, having performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the United Nations, Nobel Prize Hall, World Economic Forum, and Lincoln Center. As a humanitarian, Farah focuses on raising awareness about the consequences of war and violence, and advocates for women’s rights, refugee rights and animal rights.
LADAMA
LADAMA is an ensemble of female musicians from across the Americas who write and arrange original music influenced by music from their respective countries, Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela, to create a unique sound with universal appeal. As well as performing as a touring band, LADAMA strives to engage youth in their respective communities in the process of music-making, composition and audio production through collaboration and performance workshops celebrating cultural exchange as a source for creativity. With rhythm and percussion driving their original compositions sung in Spanish, Portuguese and English they combine disparate, traditional roots music with pop.
A Moving Sound
Fusing traditional influences with a global sensibility, award winning ensemble A Moving Sound (Sheng Don聲動) from Taiwan, built a worldwide following through their joyous mix of original music and dance. Featuring the distinctive timbres of the erhu (Taiwanese fiddle) and zhong ruan (lute), and the transcendent vocals of Mia Hsieh, A Moving Sound has devised a unique and compelling style that is all their own – a Taiwanese whirlwind that veers between the meditative and the exuberant with irrepressible spirit.
Communities and Tour Information
| Community | Partner | Artist On Tour | Residency Dates | Public Concert Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oskaloosa, IA | George Daily Auditorium | Farah Siraj | Feb 4-10, 2024 | Sat, Feb 10 at 7pm Adults $25, Students FREE Get Tickets |
| Freeport, IL | Freeport Art Museum | Farah Siraj | Feb 18-24, 2024 | Fri, Feb 23 at 7pm $10 Get Tickets |
| Marinette, WI | Rusty Wolfe Studio | Farah Siraj | Feb 11-17, 2024 | Sat, Feb 17 at 6pm Free |
| Minot, ND | Minot Area Council of the Arts | LADAMA | Feb 25-March 2, 2024 | Sat, Mar 2 at 4pm Free |
| Custer + Hot Springs, SD | Custer Area Arts Council + Chautauqua Artisans and Craftsmen of the Black Hills | LADAMA | March 4-10, 2024 | Sun, Mar 10 at 2pm Free |
| Fairmont, MN | Fairmont Opera House | LADAMA | March 11-17, 2024 | Sat, Mar 16 at 7pm Adults $20, Students $10 Get Tickets |
| Portsmouth, OH | Vern Riffe Center for the Arts | A Moving Sound | April 7-13 2024 | Thurs, Apr 11 at 7:30pm Adults $10, Students $5 Get Tickets |
| Sullivan, IN | City of Sullivan | A Moving Sound | April 14-20 April 2024 | Fri, Apr 19 at 7pm Free |
| Albion, MI | Bohm Theatre | A Moving Sound | April 21-27 2024 | Sat, Apr 27 at 3pm Tickets $5 Get Tickets |
Listen to the Artists
A program of Arts Midwest, the 2024-2025 World Fest artist tours are generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Arts Midwest is also generously supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Indiana Arts Commission, Iowa Arts Council, Michigan Arts and Culture Council, Minnesota State Arts Board, North Dakota Council on the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, South Dakota Arts Council, Wisconsin Arts Board, 3M, and individual donors and partners.