{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”94059e28-0d2c-11e7-9b81-2bea6cc19113″}}

WSU Performing Arts will present Women of the World, a group of four singers and a percussionist who combine and celebrate many different styles of music from across the world, on Wednesday.

“Every culture has their own musical traditions; music is ubiquitous across the world,” WSU Performing Arts Director Gail Siegel said. “The styles may be different, but music is always music.”

Women of the World celebrate their home cultures – Japan, India, Haiti and Italy – as well as dozens of others, and they sing in 31 different languages.

Ayumi Ueda founded Women of the World in 2008. When she was growing up in Japan, Ueda was not very exposed to the rest of the world, though other cultures always interested her, she said. Her father was an English coordinator for a company that brought in different folk performances from around the world.

“Even though I didn’t know the other languages, they were all so nice, and that warmed my heart,” Ueda said. “Being exposed to different cultures and skin colors was really good for me because I learned that while we look different, we are all the same.”

After encountering these cultures, she realized she wanted to work with people who have different backgrounds and learn about various styles of music. While at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, she began working with like-minded vocalists Giorgia Renosto from Italy, Annette Philip from India and Débòrah Pierre from Haiti to form Women of the World.

The group hopes to help people understand cultures other than their own through their diverse styles of music, and break down barriers built when casting judgement, Ueda said.

“People are scared of the unknown; they put people in boxes because of their politics, or culture or skin tone – they’re very quick to judge,” Ueda said. “[Women of the World] exists to showcase many different cultures and break down these stereotypes.”

Siegel and WSU Performing Arts regularly focus on bringing performers who specialize in world cultures. Women of the World does this in a way many other groups do not.

“This particular group brings together different cultures from Japan, Italy, India and Haiti,” Siegel said. “They’re very unique by presenting their own cultures but bringing them together in unity. The message that they deliver is very relevant right now.”

Siegel said she believes it is important for college students to experience a performance with so much culture.

“We’re very immersed in our own culture, and in order to be good global citizens, we need to have an awareness of other cultures,” Siegel said. “This helps to forge connections between cultures. We’re not different, we’re the same.”

Ueda said she hopes Cougs in attendance can connect to the cultures presented and feel inspired to learn more after the performance.

“I hope the audience has lots of fun, and that they feel light and hopeful after the performance,” she said. “I hope they feel like they got to travel all over the world in just an hour and a half, and experience different music styles and want to learn more themselves.”

Women of the World will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Jones Theatre in Daggy Hall. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $9 for non-WSU students and youth, and free for WSU students. Tickets can be purchased in advance or picked up at Beasley Coliseum with a student ID.

“I love that we get to spread the message of unity and peace and love,” Ueda said. “We’ll be passing the baton to younger generations soon; they’re our future, so they need to understand this message.”