Client News
KERUBO CLOSES WINOOSKI HIGH SCHOOL RESIDENCY WITH MUSIC, “MIRROR CONVERSATIONS” AND COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS
The Kenyan-born singer, songwriter and teaching artist reflects on identity, belonging and the young people who shaped her Vermont residency.
WINOOSKI, VERMONT — August 29, 2026 — As her residency at Winooski High School comes to a close, KeruBo is reflecting with deep gratitude on the young people, educators, artists and community members who made the experience meaningful. The residency has moved through music, storytelling and community workshops, creating room for conversations about identity, belonging, beauty, race and what it means to truly be seen.
“Mirror Conversations” became a particularly important part of that work. The project invited young people to look beyond their reflection and consider the stories, expectations and pressures that shape how they see themselves. That conversation connects naturally to KeruBo’s wider artistic practice, where music, oral history and education become ways of preserving heritage while opening space for recognition and connection.
The residency will conclude with public celebrations beginning August 30 at the Winooski Friendship Festival. KeruBo will appear in concert at 2:00 p.m. with Unheard Stories and Nepali-Bhutanese and African dance troupes, followed by a 3:00 p.m. Friendship Festival performance. On September 1, “You Are Enough” will receive a special screening at Main Street Landing in Burlington, and on September 6 KeruBo will perform at the 21st Plymouth Folk & Blues Festival at the Calvin Coolidge State Historical Site.
The themes running through these events are consistent with the work KeruBo has built across classrooms, community spaces and stages. Her music draws from African traditional music while making room for jazz, blues, Brazilian samba and bossa nova; her teaching and storytelling continue that same movement between memory, culture and community.
“I leave this residency carrying the voices, questions, laughter, and courage of the young people I have met. Their stories will stay with me as a reminder that when we make room for one another to be seen and heard, we do more than create art—we create belonging, and we help one another imagine a more beautiful way forward.”
KeruBo added: “Thank you all for a transformative experience.” The public is invited to join the final performances, screening and community celebrations as the residency comes to a close.
AUGUST 30 | KERUBO IN CONCERT — 2:00 PM
AUGUST 30 | FRIENDSHIP FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE — 3:00 PM
SEPTEMBER 1 | SPECIAL SCREENING — YOU ARE ENOUGH
SEPTEMBER 6 | 21ST PLYMOUTH FOLK & BLUES FESTIVAL
ABOUT KERUBO
Irene “KeruBo” Webster is a Kenyan-born singer, songwriter, teaching artist and cultural storyteller whose work brings African traditional music into conversation with jazz, blues, Brazilian samba and bossa nova. Across music, education and community practice, her work explores heritage, migration, identity, history and human connection.
