Feb 15, 2010
From staff reports

Grammy Award-winning banjo player Béla Fleck will perform at Ohio University, one of the first stops on his new tour, at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. Titled "Béla Fleck: The Africa Project," the tour stems from the artist's most recent project in which he explored the history of the banjo.

Although considered an American instrument, the banjo's origins lie far away in Africa. Fleck traveled through Uganda, Tanzania, Gambia and Mali to research the instrument's history, and played with some of Africa's best musicians to discover how the banjo fits in with their music, sparking a celebrated album release and successful tour in 2009. Fleck returns to the stage this year to deliver a performance featuring even more collaborations with musician Bassekou Kouyate, and his band Ngoni Ba, from Mali, and Anania Ngoliga, from Tanzania, with John Kitime.

Tickets for this performance may be purchased at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium ticket office. The ticket office is open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before the show. Tickets also can be purchased online.  For tickets or more information, please call 740-593-1780 or visit the Performing Arts Web site at www.ohio.edu/performingarts.

Related Links:
Performing Arts Series

Bela Fleck

Photo courtesy of: BelaFleck.com