Somi
Somi
"Serious and seductive," (NYT) the vocalist blends jazz, African rhythms and poignant storytelling. Let her breathtaking voice be your guide.
2024/25 SeasonExperience the soulful and enchanting Somi live in concert. Celebrated for her blend of jazz, African rhythms and poignant storytelling, the award-winning performer sweeps us away with her spellbinding artistry while traversing the cultural bridge between Africa and America.
Funded in part by the Lewis Pace Poag 1972 Endowed Fund and the Andrew J. Greenebaum 1984 Fund.
Photo: Tatenda Chidora
Vocalist, composer, actor and playwright Somi Kakoma is the daughter of immigrants from Uganda and Rwanda. Known in the jazz world simply as 'Somi', her fifth studio album, Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, is a companion project to the critically acclaimed original musical Dreaming Zenzile that Somi also wrote and starred in Off-Broadway as a tribute to the great South African singer and activist. Prior to Zenzile and at the height of the 2020 lockdown, Somi released an unplanned live album called Holy Room featuring the Frankfurt Radio Big Band that ultimately earned her a 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album and made her the first African woman ever nominated in any of the Grammy jazz categories. Somi is a recipient of the 2023 Doris Duke Artist Award, two NAACP Image Awards for Best Vocal Jazz Album and the inaugural Jazz Music Award for Best Vocal Performance. She is also a Soros Equality Fellow, a United States Artist Fellow, a TED Senior Fellow, a Sundance Theatre Fellow, and the founder of Salon Africana—a boutique cultural agency and record label. This fall, she will debut on Broadway in the title role a new play called Jaja's African Hair Braiding by Joceyln Bioh. Somi holds degrees in Cultural Anthropology and African Studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master's degree in Performance Studies from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, and is currently working on her PhD at Harvard University's Department of Music. In her heart of hearts, she is an East African Midwestern girl who loves family, poetry and freedom.
2024/25 Season
2024/25 Season
“A virtuosic performer in full command of her instrument and powers.”
The New York Times
“African grooves, supple jazz singing and compassionate social consciousness; She is both serious and seductive.”
The New York Times
Our voices are as infinite and unique as fingerprints, similar on the surface but with endless variations. This season, we hear breathtaking vocal ranges, songs that carry meaning and musical heritage, and voices that call us together in joyful community.
Learn MoreArt connects. It brings us together and reveals the interrelated nature of our world—the connection within communities, across culture, and even underfoot.
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Tuesday-Friday: 12-5 pm
Saturday: 2-5 pm
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29 College Street
Hanover, NH
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Located adjacent to the northeast corner of the Dartmouth Green.