GENRE: World Music
RATES: $250 and up depending on such things as location, duration and event type
AVAILABLE: Special Events, Gallery Openings, Festivals, Traditional Music Venues, Conventions, Parties
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/abraceworld
ENGAGEMENTS: Folk Life, SAM, BAM, Ethnic Fest, Art in the Parks

Six 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 vocalists Rebecca Rivers and Angie Bolton joined the group.
Abráce sings in 17 languages, including English, Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic, Hebrew, Swahili, Xhosa, Bulgarian, Japanese, Duala, 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.