For those who might find themselves in the Motor City next weekend, please do yourself a favor and check out the 19th annual Concert of Colors.  Organized by music producer Don Was (Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt), who is himself from Detroit, the goal of this 4 day festival is to bring Detroit’s many ethnic communities together to celebrate music from around the world.  The event’s sponsors alone speak to the incredible diversity of peoples and music that will be present: the Arab American National Museum, The Charles Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, among many others.

The breadth of musical styles at this festival is impressive: R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Rock and Folk music from dozens of world cultures.  In my opinion, the Concert of Colors is symbolic of Detroit at its best.  The recent census numbers indicate that the metro Detroit area boasts incredible ethnic and racial diversity.  The truth is, however, that most of the time these groups live segregated from one another.  One of popular music’s gifts to humanity, as the CoC illustrates, is promoting social cohesion.  I don’t wish to romanticize this or claim that music is all we need to eliminate hatred, but bringing folks together in a joyful milieu to celebrate life and our common humanity is a step in the right direction.

One of the performers at the Concert of Colors is Steffanie Christi’an, a performer who deserves much more attention.  Here is a sample of her talent, performing a cover of an Adele song.  Enjoy!

Dave Nantais

Detroit, MI