FirstWorks Heats Up the Season with its Annual Summer Beats Concert Series
FirstWorks is hosting its free concert series at Roger Williams Park in Providence and Jenks Park in Central Falls, showcasing global music across four performances.
Las Guaracheras will perform at the Roger Williams Park Bandstand on Thursday, June 26. Photo courtesy of FirstWorks.
Hear the sounds of summer during FirstWorks’ free Summer Beats Concert Series, consisting of four concerts showcasing global musical talent. Hosted at Roger Williams Park, listen to one of the most diverse concert lineups you’ll ever hear.
Thursday, June 26 at 6 p.m.: The all-female salsa sextet Las Guaracheras kicks off the free community concert series at the Roger Williams Park Bandstand. Founded in Cali, Columbia, La Guaracheras plays Afro-Caribbean rhythms and salsa with lyrics focusing on reclaiming the women’s role in the music industry. Having performed all over the world in cities such as Barcelona, Madrid and Los Angeles, the group is visiting Providence to share their message of love and hope.
Friday, July 11 at 6p.m.: It’s a collaboration between The William Cepeda and Elio Villafranca Sextet: Merging Roots. The concert takes place on the lawn of the Roger Williams Park Boathouse. These musicians are celebrated for blending the musical traditions of their homelands with jazz, all while demonstrating the resilience of their culture through rhythm and storytelling. Prior to enjoying this great project, tour the food truck selections at Roger Williams Park Carousel Village, open at 5 p.m.
Friday, July 25 at 6p.m.: On the Roger Williams Park Boathouse lawn, find Pakistan’s Khumariyann, a show that is a part of the Center Stage tour. A performer described as electrifying combines traditional Pakistani folk music with more modern sound. Founded in 2009 in their home city of Peshawar, Pakistan, the group was molded by the surrounding uncertainty and violence of that time; today their music and concerts have been painted as reviving the music scene in Pakistan. Also enjoy food from local food trucks at 5 p.m.
Saturday, August 9 from 3–6p.m.: Wrapping up the concert series is Cape Verdean vocalist Elida Almeida. At Central Falls at Jenks Park, this new expansion of the FirstWorks Concert Series celebrates the local Cape Verdean population as Central Falls and the surrounding cities are home to the largest number of Cape Verdeans in the country. The concert also features Chachi Carvalho of Pawtucket, local hip-hop talent, poet, songwriter and is the front man for International Players Band. Elida Almeida came joined the music scene in 2014 and has been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series. Her music celebrates her culture and African roots as she peppers her Cape Verdean sounds with genres such as funaná, coladera and tabanka.
Celebrate the cultures of the world for free throughout the course of the summer. Find more info at firstwork.org
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