Concerts
The WDC hosts an annual concert that showcases outstanding performances by Taikolaborative, Djembe Diyamu, Women Who Groove, Rhythm Connection, and drumHeart. It is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we thank you for joining us at these vibrant events!
2026 Annual Concert and Celebration
We are pleased to announce the 2026 concert videos are now available to view on the WDC’s YouTube Channel! Thanks to Will Hommeyer with Blue Moon Productions for the wonderful videos.
The WOMEN’S DRUM CENTER’s 2026 concert began with Jambo Bwana, a song often used at Kenyan and Tanzanian resorts as a warm welcome to visitors. Jambo is a Swahili greeting and the song asks the visitor how they are and assures them that visitors are always welcome. The last line is Hakuna Matata – a now familiar Swahili expression of “No worries”. Brenda Bush led the audience and all ensembles in singing. The concert closed by once again bringing all of the groups together to perform Kwaheri – a goodbye song. Kwaheris is a Swahili word for goodbye. The song translates loosely as “Goodbye, goodbye, Loved one, goodbye. We will meet again if we are lucky”. And with that, the WD bid farewell to their concert guests.
"UBUNTU: I Am Because We Are"
Ubuntu is an ancient African philosophy rooted in Bantu languages (Zulu/Xhosa) that defines humanity through interconnectedness, often translated as "I am because we are"or "a person is a person through other persons." Originating from Nguni cultural values, Ubuntu emphasizes community, compassion, and shared humanity over individualism.
The WDC selected this for our 2026 concert theme because we believe now, more than ever, we need to emphasize and uplift and our interconnectedness to ALL people. The WDC values community and inclusivity, and our annual concert is a joyous celebration of our connectedness to each other: performers, audience members, and even the cultures we honor by performing their music.
2025
The concert Finale brought all of the performance groups together to compose an original piece that celebrates the human heartbeat. It calls us all to seek ways to respect others and work together toward understanding and peace. The piece begins with the chaos of everyone just making noise without any regard for the other people on stage. A young person calls us to be mindful of each other and our own heartbeat. Each group delivers a brief solo section before all coming back together for a triumphant finish. The dancers join to elevate the experience.
2024
The featured video is Djembe Diyamu led by Dan Engebretson. They played three rhythms from their repertoire for the 2024 concert. Djole is a mask dance from Sierra Leone traditionally played for celebrations - especially ocasions honoring women. Lolo ("Star") is an old song from the Malinke people of Guinea. It was a children's song and then Famadou Konate added the drum rhythms. Anta ("Let's Go") was composed by Mamady Kieta for his concert group to open their performances. It is played to celebrate special events.
2023
The featured video is the all-ensemble finale from our 2023 Annual Concert. Gahu is a community song of the Ewe originating from the Volta region of Ghana. This performance features the drumming, song, and dance that are traditionally performed. Members of drumHeart, Djembe Diyamu, Women Who Groove, Taikollaborative, and Earthtone Singers joined together for this amazing production. The WDC is grateful to Karin Rau for her expertise in teaching the song and leading the dancers.