Parapo Algernon Robinson

Algernon Robinson - Composer
Dominique Valenzuela - Violin
Bella Ward - Violin
Monica Muñoz Alzate - Viola
Blake Kitayama - Cello
Greg Freeman - Percussion
James Wiley - Director of Photography
Evan Finch - Editor/BTS Videography
Lauren Smith - Choreographer
Alexis York - Dancer
Kendall Ramirez - Dancer
Alyssa Neal - Dancer
Commissioned by Old Salem as an exploration of historical race relations, "Parapo" is a music video composed and produced by UNCSA Composition student Algernon Robinson. “Parapo” is a West African Yoruba word that means “blend” or “where the ways come together.” This composition brings together Moravian and traditional West African musical ideas. Scored for string quartet and African percussion (including djembe, dun dun, and kalimba), the music opens with a melody meant to evoke a call-and-response field holler, shared among members of the quartet. The video was filmed on location in Old Salem, using some of the spaces Moravians and African Americans shared centuries ago.
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