As the nation’s 11^th largest city and perennial Live Music Capital, Austin has become a mecca for international musicians. They’ve come here for the great players, the great audiences, the plethora of venues, and the laidback musical vibe. And St. David’s is spotlighting this often-overlooked musical niche with our continuing world concert series inside our beautiful 170-year-old church sanctuary in the heart of downtown.

The beginning

When John Burnett retired last year as a longtime globetrotting correspondent for NPR, he approached Father Chuck Treadwell, rector at St. David’s, and suggested St. David’s start a live music series. Burnett wanted to find music that he had heard on assignment around the world and educate local audiences about the sumptuous universe of music that’s out there. “Astonishingly, I found great world musicians under my nose in 512,” said Burnett.

What we learned in the first season

In its inaugural season, from September 2023 to May 2024, the concert series featured rhythms and harmonies from Niger, Ghana, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, El Salvador, Egypt, Iran, Cuba, Morocco, India, Mexico, and Ireland. (A couple of the bands were from out of town.) World Music Encounters turned into a roaring success. With 200-plus crowds every night, the church was able to put as much money as possible into musicians’ pockets. The nonprofit series is produced by volunteers, including Burnett, and the church staff. They learned that Austin’s music scene has grown up.

Connecting through conversation

The mission of WME is not just to entertain, but to educate and enlighten folks about music that might be unfamiliar to them. Austin has the coolest, smartest audiences anywhere. As such, the retired NPR-journalist-turned-concert-producer Burnett gets up at intermission and interviews the band leaders about the origins of their music, their instruments, and their journey to Austin.

Three examples: last January, Ibrahim Aminou had a talking drum under his arm as he explained how his grandfather used that instrument to communicate with neighboring villages in his homeland of Niger; Gabriel Santiago shared how the jazz guitar evolved in his home country of Brazil; and Austin’s phenomenal singer, songwriter, and bodhran drummer Andrea Magee spoke of her musical upbringing in Belfast, Ireland.

Our second season continues

• Sept. 22, Austin’s own flamenco company, A’lante Flamenco, features the classically trained Cuban guitarist José Tejeda along with a trio of gifted dancers.
• Nov. 17, Abou Sylla and Bramaya. One of the greatest West African drummers in North America lives quietly in East Austin with his dance troupe, Bramaya, and travels around the country performing and teaching.
• Feb. 2, the brilliant, eclectic local violinist, Javier Chaparro, born in Peru, brings his band, Salud, to St. David’s.
• April 27, WME presents a U.S. exclusive: three world-class Japanese traditional musicians will trek to Austin (from College Station where they’re participating in a Japanese traditional music festival) to perform on our stage. They’ll take the audience on a chronological journey from ancient Japanese music—played on the shakuhachi, koto, and shamisen—and conclude with a swinging jazz trio.

St. David’s is delighted, humbled, and energized by the response to the fledgling concert series that now has a loyal following.

Come join the audience as St. David’s brings global music and conversation center stage in downtown Austin. Season Two of World Music Encounters kicks off Sunday, Sept. 22. The family-friendly Sunday concerts are from 5 to 7 p.m. with free garage parking at the venue. Tickets, $15-35, are on sale now. Use code CHAMBER for $5 discount.