Speaker Announcement: Susan Addy and Okropong, Sustaining Sounds
Category:
2013 Event,
Speaker Announcements
Music’s profound power to inspire and affect us is well documented. Its tones and rhythms resonate with us both physically and emotionally, and as an art form its universal appeal can unite us. Susan Addy, Executive Director of the Obo Addy Legacy Project, believes in the power of music. She believes in the ways it can touch people and help them learn more about one another. Music, she believes might even be the bridge that leads to peace.
“By listening to music from all different countries, you can begin to feel the possibility of peace through music.”
In 1986, Susan and her husband Obo founded the Homowo African Arts and Cultures Organization to spread the music and culture of Africa through teaching, dance, and performance. The rich aural and visual experiences that resulted were rooted in Obo’s deep love of his native Ghana, where he became a master drummer at the age of six. Obo grew up watching his father use music in healing ceremonies, and his own love of music took him around the globe until he settled in Portland, Oregon. In addition to earning numerous awards, including a 1996 National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National Endowment from the Arts, Obo taught music at Lewis and Clark College for 25 years.
Okropong in performance.
When Obo died in September, 2012, the Homowo African Arts and Cultures Organization continued under its new name, the Obo Addy Legacy Project. The organization, using Obo’s repertoire and methods, brings music and dance to communities and schools across the Pacific Northwest. Their performance groups delight audiences with vibrant celebrations of African culture.
On the 2013 TEDxConcordiaUPortland (now known as TEDxMtHood) stage, Susan Addy will tell her story about the Obo Addy Legacy Project and she will introduce one of their performing groups, Okropong. The sights and sounds that they bring to the stage will be a spectacular experience!
Sean Wheaton
Sean Wheaton is a teacher and writer who lives in Portland, OR. He’s a lover of ideas both big and small, and he is thrilled to be a part of this year’s TEDxConcordiaUPortland planning team. He’s one of several storytellers who will be sharing write-ups, interviews, and perspectives on the many extraordinary people from our surrounding community.
