OurWork
TRIAAC Projects
Invite to the community square people who want to share their talent and gift, ideas and passion for peace, justice and creativity.
The Three Rivers Jenbé Ensemble is a Mandé music education and performance ensemble comprised of youth and adults who love to learn and to play traditional Mandé music. TRJE is Northeast Indiana’s leading Afrikan-centered drumming workshop and performance ensemble. Music, dance, song, and poetry are the ensemble vehicles for developing community relationships.
TRJE’s season runs from September through May, but the ensemble books performances year round. For more information contact TRIAAC at 260 969‑9442.
The Acoustic SpokenWord Cafe is a Downtown performing arts space dedicated to local artists who want to explore and stimulate a creative sense of community.
SpokenWord Cafe is open between 7 and 10PM on the second and fourth Saturday of each month except July and August. During November and December the Café opens only on the second Saturday. Most evenings consist of mixed genre presentations by two artists, plus an open mic segment.
Presenting genres have included poetry, rap, short stories, novels, acoustic and electric jazz, blues, gospel, folk, traditional Native American flute, Afrikan drumming, and film. Artists, if you are interested in appearing at the SpokenWord Cafe, press the button, fill out the form, and get with us.
Wednesday Night Drumming is a workshop for adults who want to learn to play the jenbé and dunun drums. The workshop is a project of continuing 7-week cycles. Workshops continue year-round, on Wednesday evenings, from 6–7:30PM, for beginning and intermediate drummers. Students are taught the fundamental techniques and rhythms of the traditional Mandé jenbé ensemble.
Students re-enroll for each 7-week session. The fee is $150.00 per workshop, or $25.00 per class. TRIAAC members receive a 15% discount on workshop fees.
The Visiting Artist Forum is an on-going project of short and long-term residencies for Afrikan and Diaspora artists, who conduct workshops and give performances at TRIAAC and the greater Fort Wayne community. During the 2011–2012 season, TRIAAC hosted a series of workshops and performances with Moussa Bolokada Conde, and Abass Camara two master drummers and folklorists from Guinea, West Afrika.
The Mandé Music School (MMS) is designed to harness that child-like improvisational energy and give it a jenbé drum focus. Students learn the basic techniques of ensemble jenbé and dunun drumming, and how to play together in ensemble—simulating traditional learning styles that use ear training and melodic relationship placement. The MMS is for children 4–5, and 6–12 year-olds, and meets on Saturdays. Four to five year-olds meet from 10:00AM to 10:45AM, and 6–12 year-olds meet from 11AM to 12:30PM.
