“Saturday Night Live” Percussionist to speak with Dragons

Valerie Naranajo, Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame member, will be speaking via Zoom with MSUM students this Friday at 12pm in Fox Recital Hall (Center for the Arts).  Valerie, a NYC-based musician, is currently performing in her 31st season on the hit television show Saturday Night Live, A true ground-breaking artist, she is an internationally recognized performer on the West African gyil (a form of the marimba), and was declared to be the first woman to be allowed to perform on the gyil at the famed Kobine festival after studying the instrument in Ghana.  She also performs on Broadway’s “The Lion King,” where she developed the book and music for the musical when it premiered, and has toured and performed with artists such as Philip Glass, David Byrne, and many more.

To find out more about Valerie, please take a moment to read this article about her many accomplishments and life story:  https://pas.org/valerie-naranjo/

For an in-depth look at her ground-breaking performing as a woman performing on the gyil in Africa, read:  https://pas.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/98.12.26-36.pdf