Wed 7/31 @ 7:30PM
The City Stages concerts, sponsored by the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio City’s Hingetown neighborhood, are like giant street parties with some of the most interesting and body-moving music you’ll hear anywhere in town, with bands from around the world that make music that compels dancing. Many seldom tour and have never performed in Cleveland previously. The atmosphere is so special you wish the series would go on much longer.
Alas, all good things come to an end. The final of this summer’s three City stages concerts takes place this week on the big stage outdoors at the corner of East 29th and Church.
Like the previous two concerts, this one features an artist from our own neighbors to the south, in this case Brazil. Bia Ferreira is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer who, like many world music artists, draws on her own roots to combine them with contemporary sounds. You can hear influences such as samba in her music which layers on rap, reggae and soul, while confronting sobering issues such as racism, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights. Her breakout track, “Cota Não é Esmola,” is even more specialized, addressing an issue that might fly over the heads of most Americans: the importance of Brazil’s university quota system for giving Black Brazilians access to education. Or maybe not, considering recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.
She’ll perform with a trio at City Stages. It’s free and open to all. Bring a chair to set up on the closed-off street or a blanket to sit on the lawn of the transformer Station. Or just dance.
clevelandart.org/events/city-stages-bia-ferreira
Cleveland, OH 44113