Renowned Afro-Cuban Drummer Presents Free Public Performance at Mission San Luis

Tallahassee –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner and the Florida Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources invite the public to a free performance of traditional Afro-Cuban drum music in Tallahassee at Mission San Luis, Thursday evening, September 10, 2015, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. This performance, featuring master drummer Kenneth Burney and his group Eru Chambo, is part of the 2015 Folklife Artist-in-Residence Program sponsored by the Florida Folklife Program and the Florida State University Center for Music of the Americas.

"We are very pleased to welcome the public to Mission San Luis for this free performance," said Secretary Detzner. "Mr. Burney is a phenomenal performer and educator whose talent exemplifies the diversity and depth of Florida’s cultural heritage.”

Kenneth Burney and Eru Chambo performing at the 2015 Florida Folk Festival. Photo by Isabella Folmar.

Mr. Burney is one of the state’s most highly regarded musicians within the Afro-Cuban folk tradition, and has been deeply involved in both the traditional Afro-Cuban and jazz music scenes for over 40 years. He holds a degree in ethnomusicology and voice from Julliard and apprenticed for three decades with well-known Cuban folk drummer Orlando “Puntilla” Rios. Throughout his musical career, he has performed with many renowned artists such as Miles Davis, Chucho Valdez and Quincy Jones, and led workshops in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Mr. Burney will be joined at Mission San Luis by Eru Chambo featuring Hans Hernandez, Dany Illas, and Yannuel Romero. Eru Chambo will present various forms of Afro-Cuban drum music, including batá, son and güiro.

During this residency, Mr. Burney and Eru Chambo will also visit the Afro-Cuban drum ensemble at Kate Sullivan Elementary School, Florida State University, and the Legacy School of Performing Arts in Quincy to conduct instructional workshops with students. The Folklife Artist-in-Residence Program is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Folk & Traditional Arts Program. Mission San Luis is located at 2100 West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee. For more information visit flheritage.com/preservation/folklife/outreach.cfm.

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About the Florida Department of State’s Florida Folklife Program

The Florida Folklife Program, a component of the Florida Department of State's Division of Historical Resources, documents and presents Florida’s folklife, folklore and folk arts. The program coordinates a wide range of activities and projects designed to increase the awareness of Floridians and visitors alike about Florida’s traditional culture. Established in 1979 by the legislature to document and present Florida folklife, the program is one of the oldest state folk arts programs in the nation. For more information visit dos.myflorida.com/historical/preservation/florida-folklife-program/.

About Mission San Luis

Florida’s Apalachee-Spanish Living History Museum was the western capital of Spanish Florida from 1656 to 1704. Today, the Mission brings the early 1700s to life with living history interpreters in period dress, reconstructed period buildings, exhibits, and archaeological research. The site is managed by the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Bureau of Archaeological Research, and support is provided by the Friends of Mission San Luis, Inc. Mission San Luis is Tallahassee’s only National Historic Landmark. Mission San Luis is located at 2100 West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee, Florida, and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mission San Luis is pet-friendly to animals on leashes all year round. For more information visit www.missionsanluis.org/.

About the Center for Music of the Americas

The Florida State University Center for Music of the Americas promotes the scholarship, performance, and dissemination of musics found in the American Hemisphere. It facilitates initiatives within the College of Music, across the university, and throughout the north Florida community. For more information visit music.fsu.edu/Music-Research-Centers/Center-for-Music-of-the-Americas.