What a difference a year makes. In 2005, the inaugural edition of ¡Globalquerque!, New Mexico’s celebration of world music and culture, took place on a Tuesday with a small but impressive lineup of musical acts from around the world. Planned and produced in just six months, the modestly successful event drew a few hundred attendees.This year, founders Neal Copperman and Tom Frouge have transformed the one-day event into a 10-day celebration of the global village that opens with concert events across New Mexico and a seven-day movie festival at the Guild. The climax comes Saturday and Sunday at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in a two-day musical and folkloric espectáculo. “Two thousand five was the trailer,” says Copperman. “This is the movie.”Presenting about 20 musical acts from places as far away as India and as exotic as northern New Mexico, ¡Globalquerque! serves up a musical smorgasbord featuring world-renowned performers—some appearing in the United States for the first time. Shoppers will have arts and crafts to browse. Gourmands can gorge on exotic foods. The curious can participate in a host of fun and free educational events—all with a global village theme.It’s a great way to travel from Brazil to Belize, Tuva to Zimbabwe, Louisiana to Yugoslavia and more, all in 35 hours, without passport, luggage or jet lag.“There is nothing like ¡Globalquerque! in the Southwest region,” says Frouge. “We are now seen as a crossroads, the connecting festival” between Midwest and West Coast world music events.That plays into the five-year plan he and Copperman have developed—to make ¡Globalquerque! a destination event on the scale of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival or the Santa Fe Opera.
Daily Logistics
From noon to 4 p.m., admission is free. You can munch on a variety of foods, buy arts and crafts, hear musical performances, and participate in workshops and demonstrations for children and adults. (You’ll have to clear out at 4 p.m. unless you have a ticket for the evening performances, in which case you’re welcome to hang and check out the National Hispanic Cultural Center museum.)Gates open again at 5 p.m. for ticketholders to the evening musical performances. They begin at 6 p.m. and go until 11 p.m. on three stages—in the Journal Theater, on the plaza, and at the Salon Ortega.For complete information—performance schedule, performer bios, signups for workshops and classes, and more—go to www.globalquerque.com. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster outlets (www.ticketmaster.com, 883-7800 and all Smith’s stores). Buy them in person only at the NHCC box office (724-4771).¡Globalquerque! Main Acts
Kiran Ahluwalia (India)Jay Begay (Diné Nation)Charanga Cakewalk (Texas/Mexico)Chirgilchin (Tuva)Curumin (Brazil)Prince Diabaté (Guinea, West Africa)Gamelan Encantada (Albuquerque)Gjallarhorn (Finland)Les Yeux Noirs (Gypsy/France)Aurelio Martinez (Belize)Oliver Mtukudzi and Black spirits (Zimbabwe)Native Roots (Albuquerque)Nosotros (Albuquerque/Santa Fe)Prince Diabaté (Guinea, West Africa)Red Stick Ramblers (Louisiana)Shooglenifty (Scotland)Slonovski Bal (former Yugoslavia)Trio Jalapeño de Antonia Apodaca (northern New Mexico)
The Brains Behind The Scenes
The founders of ¡Globalquerque! have come to the event along very different routes. Neal Copperman left an 18-year career in cryptography and computer security—and a top secret clearance—to become a music presenter. He started with house concerts and has grown into AMP Concerts (www.abqmusic.com), an important addition to the Albuquerque music scene. Tom Frouge, who hatched the ¡Globalquerque! idea, continues a distinguished career in the music industry. He now divides his time between Triloka Records, American Roots Publishing (for which he recently produced the CD The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson ), RadioIoWorld and the City of Albuquerque’s Music Office, where he serves as music liaison.
