Born To Drum 2018 Faculty Bios

Linda Thomas Jones is considered one of the founding mothers of female African drumming in the United States. She began her career in drumming at… Read More »Linda Thomas Jones, Iyanifa Fasi Irunsewe

Shortly after her arrival to live in the US in 1999, Julia founded the Chinyakare Ensemble which performs traditional Zimbabwean music and dance. Currently, Julia… Read More »Dr. Karen Burt-Imira MD

Wanda is an urban farmer, educator and comrade to many in the movement to educate and inspire others to grow their own food and communities.… Read More »Wanda Stewart

Susana Arenas Pedroso is an internationally recognized Cuban Folkloric and popular dancer. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Ms Pedroso began her career in dance at… Read More »Susana Arenas Pedroso

Odilia Galván Rodríguez, poet, writer, editor, educator, and activist, is the author of six volumes of poetry, her latest, The Nature of Things, is a… Read More »Odilia Galván Rodríguez

Michaelle Goerlitz has been playing drums and percussion since she was eight years old. After attending college in the Midwest, she moved to San Francisco… Read More »Michaelle Goerlitz

Christelle Durandy’s artistry is a mosaic; a cross-cultural jazz combination that draws upon a vast spectrum of Soul, Caribbean and Latin inspirations. The melodic threads… Read More »Christelle Durandy