ANZA

We were so fortunate to be apart of Max's album along with our parents and a wonderful group of people from Asheville, who have become family. We are excited to share that Max is also featured in our upcoming album playing horn! He has become a dear friend, family and mentor. We are so grateful for his presence in our life.

We will be singing our featured parts in Max's album, and with community. You will not want to miss the fun and exuberant time.

MAX RIBNER

What are the common threads that bridge jazz, soul, and classical music with spiritual connection and community service?

This is the question that drives international touring artist Max Ribner. The sound that answers is rich, reverent, and intimate, connecting us through the lineage of music, to the stories of our ancestors. In the past, Max's unique and fusion-inspired approach to Flugelhorn and trumpet has led him to perform with artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Nahko And Medicine For The People, Trevor Hall, The Polish Ambassador, Liv Warfield and many more. The result of years of collaboration with such a broad musical community is powerfully illustrated on Max's debut solo album, 1st Language. The 11-song debut album brings 50+ artists together in a cross-continental collaboration for the ages. Featured artists include: Bobby Sparks II (Roy Hargrove, Snarky Puppy,) Mark Lettieri (Snarky Puppy,) Saeeda Wright (Prince,) Sharay Reed (Chaka Kahn,) to name a few.In addition, the album was mixed by Grammy award-winning mix engineer, Ben Kane (D'Angelo PJ Morton and Emily King) Completed in late 2020, 1st Language is a sonic calling together of our collective humanity.

RESILIENT BEINGS

We welcome you all to 1st Language - an immersive sound journey creatively directed by Max Ribner and local artists.

The music creates a collective experience where the audience becomes the orchestra. Max & the accompanying artists bridge the gap between the stage and the audience by offering themselves as an anchor and providing simple melodies to sing along with. The musicians are committed to being with what’s present in the moment and thrive off of audience participation - ‘you feed us and we feed you’. The journey is co-collaborative and infused with creative improvised instrumentals.

WORKSHOP

It is our birthright to sing, to move and all be a part of music. When we sing together we can tap into a sense of belonging, interconnectedness, and deeper freedom.

Join Max Ribner for an inspiring opportunity to write a song as a community! Over two hours, we will be writing a song that presents itself in the moment while learning basic rhythms, choir parts, deep listening, and creative lyric writing. As a collective, we will journey into a prayerful space of connectivity, belonging, and coming home through song. Participants will then have the opportunity to share this song that evening during the evening performance.

All voices, ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience are welcome.