Rumbón de la Calle

Join Pittsburgh Creative Corps artist Christiane Dolores as she hosts this acoustic musical performance series on the last Sunday of every month, July through September at Allegheny Landing from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Performances will be held in the public space / upper terrace of the park, a three minute walk from the Andy Warhol Museum.

Rumbón de la Calle is an ensemble of locally based, world renowned percussionists and drummers of the African diaspora emulating the community gatherings of their respective countries: Puerto Rico, Republic of Congo, Cuba and the United States. Featuring core drummers: Elie Kihonia, Hugo Cruz, Kelley E Parker, and Geña. Each performance will feature a special guest and is free to attend.

Please note that all musical instruments are to be handled only by professional musicians.

This performance series is presented by the Pittsburgh Creative Corps, a partnership between the Office for Public Art and Riverlife.

About the Core Drummers

Elie Kihonia

Elie Kihonia is the founder of Afrika Yetu and UMOJA African Arts Company. He was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) and exposed to both traditional and neo-traditional African music and dance at an early age. Seeing the need to introduce and promote Africa’s rich and diverse history, culture, and traditions through song and dance, Mr. Kihonia became a co-founder of UMOJA African Arts Company, in order to create an organization in the U.S. to unify and promote the arts of diverse African cultures. He performs, teaches, choreographs, writes, and produces multi-cultural productions internationally.

Hugo Cruz

Hugo Alexander Cruz Machado is a Cuban-born, award winning, international drummer and composer who has performed in South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, and the United States. Hugo is the leader of the group Caminos, who have made appearances at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival 2019, Fábrica de Artes in Havana, Cuba, First Night Pittsburgh 2020, City of Asylum, The Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust events, The Frick Museum, Con Alma, and Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, among others.

He is a graduate of the Instituto Superior de Artes, the leading arts university of Cuba, and in 2014, won the award as the “best drummer” at the international Festival del Tambor Guillermo Barreto in Memoriam in Havana, Cuba.

Kelley E Parker

Kelly E Parker, born in Portsmouth, VA, raised in Washington, PA, and became aware in Pittsburgh, PA, where she currently resides with her domestic partner Lori Russo and their two dogs and three cats. She is the mother of a grown son and many grandchildren. She founded ABAFASI in 2009 an all female hand Drumming ensemble, focusing on West African rhythms. In 2022 she became a guest artist with Rumbon De La Calle. She is the percussionist for Lori Russo and The Uppercuts, playing Originals, Blues, Soul, R &B. She is an African Drum maker, jewelry maker, crochet artist, published poet and not well behaved womyn.

Geña

Geña is a Puerto Rican musician residing in Pittsburgh. She is a lead member of Geña y Peña, Qlitterati and multiple projects in Pittsburgh, and was the band leader and lead singer of Machete Kisumontao and other musical projects in New York City and Puerto Rico. She has performed with countless Pittsburgh-based and international musicians.

Geña envisioned Rumbón de la Calle over a decade ago, inspired by the many gatherings of natural percussionists in her native Puerto Rico and in New York City’s Central Park, where she witnessed an amalgam of musicians playing their ancestral rhythms from the African diaspora. Pittsburgh needed to be exposed to this magical experience, and in her musical trajectory, while performing with some of the most talented, authentic percussionists in town, she began making a mental list and planned the execution of this dream project.

Directions and Parking

Allegheny Landing is located on Isabella Street on the North Shore. Public parking is available in the North Shore Garage located on E. General Robinson Street.

If taking public transportation, there is a stop at Anderson Street and Isabella Street that serves routes 2, 4, 7, 8, 12, and P13. There is another stop at Sandusky and Isabella Street that serves routes 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, O5, and P13. For more information on public transit, please visit the Pittsburgh Regional Transit website HERE.

Accessibility

Allegheny Landing is wheelchair accessible via Isabella Street. To request additional accommodations, please contact the Office for Public Art at info@opapgh.org.

Registration

This event is free to attend; no registration is required.