Five years ago, two singers from radically diverse backgrounds got together to expand their vocabulary and support each other in exploring new artistic territory.
Samia Panni and Joyce Yarrow learned first hand how music can build understanding between people with different world views. They joined forces with Rosemary Bell to form Abráce - a vocal/percussion group that embraces music from all around the world. Recently percussionist Denny Stern and vocalist Rebeqa Rivers joined the group.
Abráce sings in 12 languages, including English, Spanish, French, Italian, Swahili, Xhosa, Bulgarian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Lucumí (archaic Yoruba), Ladino, (and nonsense syllables). Our repertoire ranges from the 15th Century to the present and includes our own original compositions and improvisations.
As the rhythms change and the languages shift, the theme stays the same: building inter-cultural understanding through music.