October 11, 2015 6:00 PM Beats Beyond: Spoken Hand Percussion Orchestra with Lyrical Rhyme & Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement at the Painted Bride

Featuring the Philadelphia region’s most skilled and renowned hand drummers, Spoken Hand represents batteries from four singular music cultures: tabla (North Indian), samba drums (Brazilian), djembe (West African), and batá (Afro-Cuban). Over the past 19 years, they have fused these drumming traditions into passionate and impactful sound grounded in both traditional and contemporary drumming practices. This year, Spoken hand turns 20, and they’re bringing it in with a new series: Beats Beyond.

Spoken Hand was started in 1996 when Painted Bride Art Center commissioned Lenny Seidman and Daryl Kwasi Burgee to investigate the symphonic orchestra qualities inherent in a drumming-only orchestra. Since then, the ensemble has shared the stage with the likes of tabla master Zakir Hussain, hip hop dance legend Rennie Harris, and kora master Yacouba Sissoko, among others. In that same spirit of collaboration, each performance in the Beats Beyond series will feature Spoken Hand and a special guest, creating a rare and exhilarating musical experience.

The Painted Bride Art Center
230 Vine Street
Philadelphia PA
$15/$10.50 for members