DAWN DECWIKIEL-KANE
GREENSBORO – A new local gospel artist and two other musicians have joined the lineup of performers for the NC Folk Festival.
Caleb Serrano will perform at the free, outdoor multicultural festival, which will be held September 9-11 downtown.
Caleb, Colombian musician Kiko Villamizar and Venezuelan harpist Larry Bellorín were among three artists announced Aug. 8 in a festival news release.
“Each of these performers shares elements of their cultural or faith-based identity through music and exemplifies the kinds of diverse creative expressions and traditions we seek to honor and celebrate on our stages each year,” Amy Grossmann, festival president and chief executive. , it is stated in the press release.
The three join 15 other previously announced music and dance performers for the festival, a three-day event that features groups representing a variety of cultural traditions from around the world on multiple stages.
People are also reading…
Festival goers will find continuous music and dance performances, regional and ethnic foods, crafts, a maker’s market and festival merchandise.
Caleb, now 10, started his gospel career when a video of him singing at a church event went viral on social media.
He has made numerous appearances on several television and network shows, including Steve Harvey’s Little Big Shots, Harry Connick Jr.’s Harry Show. and TCT Network’s “The 700 Club.”
He has shared the stage and toured with some of today’s biggest gospel stars and legends, including Kirk Franklin, Shirley Caesar, Travis Greene, Pastor John P. Kee and Tamela Mann.
His main focus is to continue to share his gift and the Gospel of Christ through song and praise wherever he goes.
Villamizar was born in Miami to Colombian parents and spent his childhood between his hometown and a small coffee farm owned by family members on the outskirts of Medellin, Colombia.
As a young man, he studied jazz and traveled as a street performer across the United States before settling permanently in Austin, Texas. He immersed himself in the performance and promotion of traditional Colombian music with a particular focus on the Afro-Caribbean roots of cumbia – a rhythmic music and dance rooted in Colombia.
Today, Villamizar is an educator and performer who has dedicated his life to promoting traditional Colombian music mixed with contemporary sounds.
Community partner and collaborator Texas Folklife has assisted the festival with the presentation of Villamizar.
Bellorín, who now lives in North Carolina, grew up in Punta de Mata in the state of Monagas, Venezuela.
His first instrument was the four-string cuatro, a guitar-like instrument with Spanish roots that is central to Venezuelan identity.
After meeting internationally renowned Venezuelan harpist Urbino Ruiz, Bellorín began studying the llanera harp – an instrument and playing style that is native to the northern part of South America.
Bellorín’s career accompanying music figures in Venezuela was cut short in 2012 by his country’s civil and social unrest. He moved his family to the United States, seeking work and political asylum.
Bellorín has established his presence throughout North Carolina as a solo performer and through his musical partnership with renowned NC musician Joe Troop of Che Apalache.
