Experience Nature Through Rhythm and Sound
Explore hands-on workshops, live interactive concerts and musically rich ceremonies all while soaking in the beauty of The Catskill Mountains of New York.
A Particpatory Music Gathering
Tribal Rhythms Gathering is focused on group musical participation through workshops, interactive concerts and musical experiences in nature. Attendees with explore exercises in rhythm, voice, musical instruments and learn about cultural music around the world.
Presenters
Kevin Nathaniel - Afro-Roots Custodian of Song and Sound
Abdoul Doumbia - Master Djembe Player from Mali
Maestro Manuel Rufino - Ceremonial Leader
Dream Seed - Sound Healing Ensemble
Sacred Song School - Collective of Song Carriers
Workshops & Experiences
Didgeridoo
Drumming
Sacred Song
Dance Movement Lab
Nature excursions in The Catskills' lush forested mountains including river swimming hole trips
Sound Healing
It's All About Rhythm® Workshop
Watch video from prior year Tribal Rhythms Gathering
This footage, taken at Tribal Rhythms Gathering 2017 in Upstate New York, shows the dynamic and fun aspects of the gathering.
The Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains are nestled in a lush, awe-inspiring landscape where rolling forested peaks, winding rivers, cascading waterfalls, and expansive mountain vistas create a peaceful and deeply rejuvenating natural beauty. Surrounded by pristine wilderness, scenic trails, and charming mountain towns, the region transforms with the seasons — from vibrant green summers and fiery autumn foliage to misty spring mornings and snow-covered winter landscapes. Participants in the Tribal Rhythms Gathering will immerse themselves in musical experiences surrounded by the serene beauty and grounding energy of the Catskills and its natural wonders.
Presenters
Kevin Nathaniel
Kevin Nathaniel is a visionary musician who, with voice and ancient African instruments, channels sound as a universal healing force. Together, breathing rhythms to the beat of our synchronized hearts, Kevin Nathaniel resonates songs of unity and the “big picture” of love in beautiful ways. A celebrated composer of healing music; a long-time practitioner of the healing arts of mbira, kalimba, circle song, shekere, dance, meditation, and yoga; a world-traveled music healer and performer, sharing the medicine of the ancient, the now, and the beyond, Kevin Nathaniel brings a fresh, deep experience of the beauty of sound.
Maestro Manuel Rufino
Maestro Manuel Rufino, born in Quisqueya (the present-day Dominican Republic), is a lifelong artist, healer, and spiritual teacher whose path began in the arts and expanded into martial arts, natural medicine, and sacred traditions. Trained in fine arts in Puerto Rico and New York, he later devoted decades to studying and sharing yoga, meditation, and indigenous wisdom across the world. As a community builder and founder of multiple cultural and spiritual initiatives, he continues to promote unity, peace, and holistic living through his teachings and global work.
Abdoul Doumbia
Abdoul Doumbia was born in Bamako, Mali in 1965 and raised near the historic Bamana city of Segou. He began studying traditional music at age five and completed a 16-year apprenticeship with master drummer Moriba Keita. Abdoul performed with leading drum and dance companies in Mali, including nine years as lead drummer for Babemba, and represented his region for eight consecutive years at Mali’s National Drum Festival. After immigrating to the United States in 1991, he taught at institutions including Brown, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, and became widely respected for his mastery of Malian djembe, dunun, and cultural traditions.
Dream Seed
Dream Seed is a shamanic sound ensemble hosted by members of Golden Drum and Didge Project. Shamanic chanting, mantras, overtone singing, Native American songs, indigenous music, didgeridoos, crystal singing bowls, bells, gongs, harmoniums, tuning forks and other overtone-emitting instruments are used to create an environment conducive to deep relaxation and inward investigation. Participants are led through guided meditations and sound healing practices designed to harmonize body, mind and spirit. Members include Naku Kiwanuka, AJ Block, Ixchel Prisma, Hannah Apollonia, Brooke Gillespie, Jerry Walsh, Xango Shola, Matt Canale, Mateusz Bazgier, Nicole Casanova, Michael Fisher
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