Jordanian-Palestinian Band 47SOUL Performs at ‘Sco Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer October 4, 2019
“The Innocents” Shines Light on Falsely Incarcerated, Wrongful Imprisonment Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer September 13, 2019
Upcoming Festival Features Concerts and Panels on Mortality Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer September 6, 2019
Indie Singer-Songwriter Anna Burch Gives Poignant, Intimate Performance Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer May 10, 2019
Alum Film CRSHD Screens at Apollo Theater Next Thursday Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer May 3, 2019
Student Organizations Shed Light on Oberlin Protest History with Powerful Projections Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer April 26, 2019
Spring Quartet Wows in Highly Anticipated Celebratory Performance Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer April 19, 2019
Jean Rohe Plays to Few, Captures Hearts in Midweek Performance Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer April 12, 2019
Student Production “Same Same” Premieres at Cat in the Cream Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer March 15, 2019
Jonas Brothers Back in Spotlight After Five-Year Hiatus Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer March 8, 2019
Joyce DiDonato Performs Brave New Arrangements of Timeless Classics Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer March 1, 2019
Good Talk Premieres at ‘Sco with Stand-Up, Local Band Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer February 22, 2019
Open Mic Culture Provides Performance, Community Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer February 15, 2019
M. the Heir Apparent Discusses Success, Music Career Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer February 8, 2019
Indie Group Preacher & Daisy Releases “Over Lake Erie” Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer November 30, 2018
Cover Band Showcase Sells Out During Parents’ Weekend Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer November 16, 2018
Music Executives and Oberlin Alumni Bruce Lampcov and Jumee Park Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer November 2, 2018
New Pinegrove Album Re-Opens Questions on Separating Art From Artist in Wake of Controversy Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer October 5, 2018
Oberlin Band Blankat to Open for Laura Stevenson Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer September 28, 2018
Calcagno and Leva Shine in Off-Campus Performance Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer September 21, 2018
![Acclaimed musician Rhiannon Giddens, OC ’00 stopped by the Oberlin Center for the Arts’ Community Center to play a private show for local high school students last Wednesday. Giddens has an astounding resumé — as an activist, a historian, a Grammy-award winning artist, and an Oberlin alumna.
The event was hosted by the Oberlin Center for the Arts. Female and non-binary high school students from the area were invited to attend the concert and engage with Giddens’ three-piece band.
Director of the Oberlin Center for the Arts Darren Hamm commented on the success of the performance.
“We see Rhiannon Giddens as a messenger for traditions in music, and an ambassador of history and culture,” Hamm wrote in an email to the Review. “We’re proud to provide an opportunity to highlight her work and create a space whereby others can be inspired to pursue leadership roles and to follow in her path.”
Giddens’ work highlights race and gender in the United States. Folk music is a white-dominated genre, and Giddens uses her platform to highlight Black folk narratives.
Brittany Lovett commented on the powerful performance.
“Being in a room full [of] youth from throughout Northeast Ohio that are passionate about music and art, and to watch them learn about who Rhiannon Giddens is and what she represents was magical,” Lovett wrote in an email to the Review. “As a Black Woman, being able to watch another Black Woman teach the next generation about the lost art form of the banjo and early African-American history was fulfilling.”](https://oberlinreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/RhiannonGiddens_DarrenHamm_WEB-900x600.jpg)
![An Oberlin resident of over 13 years, Faculty in Residence at La Casa Hispánica and Lecturer Yorki J. Encalada Egúsquiza noticed a lack of Latinx representation and cultural celebration as time went by. After talking with Krista Long, the owner of Ben Franklin, last year, Encalada Egúsquiza and Long resolved to start a tradition: an annual festival celebrating Latinx culture.
The second Latino Festival took place last Friday at Ben Franklin through the combined effort of the Hispanic Studies department, Ben Franklin, La Casa Hispanica, Catrina’s Tacos y Margaritas, and Lupitas Mexican Restaurant. The festival included traditional Latinx music sung by Conservatory students, food, and cultural activities including artifact tables and language games about colloquialisms from different countries. There was an impressive turnout, with attendees from both the town and campus.
This year’s festival expanded on the first and also made some major strides.
“One of my program assistants, who is vegan, wanted to provide more food for people with different diets,” Encalada Egúsquiza said. “We also had different countries represented this year.”
Long expressed her enthusiasm about hosting such events at Ben Franklin.
“I would like to see more festivals like this surrounding other cultural groups, and we are open to anybody who might want to host,” she said. “Ben Franklin is a great place for all the aspects [of] the community to me, and I always feel so privileged to be hosting something like that.”
Encalada Egúsquiza is excited about the potential for the annual festival’s ongoing development.
“I know there is not a large Latino population [in the City of] Oberlin, but hopefully in the College there are some, so my hope is to have the festival outdoors and to have help from more people,” he said. “We have all the good intentions — we are just hoping [the event] will grow with time."](https://oberlinreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/LatinxFestival_Rev.Dr_.BrianKWilbert_WEB-900x618.jpg)
