Native Rhythms Festival

10/17/2026

Today's video features our Chair, Martha Pessaro, standing at the main entrance to Wickham Park on Parkway Drive, inviting you (and everyone else) to join us in less than a month for our 18th Annual Native Rhythms Festival. Beautiful, natural venue at a beautiful time of year in Melbourne, Florida. See you there!

10/16/2026

Workshop registrations are coming in at a steady pace, and some are filling up. In fact, there are only 4 spots remaining in Joyce Neumann's "Basket Coiling" workshop! Best you not wait if you have workshops in which you want to guarantee a seat next month. Head on over to our Workshops webpage (https://nativerhythmsfestival.com/workshops/) and get your registration form submitted!

10/16/2026

We are thrilled to have Mark McGourley once again bring his Universe Dance Concert to this year's Native Rhythms Festival Wickham Park amphitheater stage. Mark has created an immersive multi-media experience with beautiful visual effects synchronized to his flute playing. Although exciting anytime it's presented, perhaps the most dynamic performance will be as the closing act on Friday evening starting at 8:00. This is one show you won't want to miss.

10/13/2026

We're getting down to the homestretch. People are making their reservations at the Candlewood Suites, and workshop registrations are flowing in. If you don't know them, here are Jamie and Joe Empert, know by their state name, Earthsong Voyage. Jamie is a former winner of our Paula Ellis Memorial Flute Players' Competition who has gone on to release recordings and win other awards. They'll be returning to our stage as headline performers in just a few weeks. Take it away, Jamie & Joe...

10/09/2026

For all you Native Rhythms Festival WORKSHOP fans, we are now accepting registrations for this year's workshops at https://nativerhythmsfestival.com/workshops/ . Workshops are described down that page, with the on-line registration form at the bottom of the page. Be sure to check out Joyce's first time ever offering of her new craft, basket coiling, illustrated in this video.

10/07/2026

If you've been anxious about our workshop program and registering for this year's workshops, we have good news. The list and descriptions of this year's workshops are complete on our workshops webpage (https://nativerhythmsfestival.com/workshops/). You can now look at the list and decide which ones you will want to register for.

A draft schedule has been created and is out for approval by our workshop leaders. If all goes as planned, that schedule will be posted and workshop registrations opened this Friday. So, please stand by...

The 2026 Workshop Program is currently being worked. What you will see below is under development and not final. Watch our page for news as our program, reflected on this page, comes together. 2026 Workshop Program The following is the list of workshops planned for the 2026 Native Rhythms F...

09/26/2026

Today we have our event chair, Martha Pessaro, standing in front of our amphitheater stage, reminding all that we're only 7 weeks from the opening day of this year's Native Rhythms Festival. Beginning on that Friday, November 13, and running through the weekend, that stage will be resounding with the music of some really great musicians. And don't forget that our final benefit concert is right around the corner in DeLand. Get the concert details and reserve your ticket at: https://nativerhythmsfestival.com/performers/ .

09/23/2026

Once again Native Rhythms will open just a couple days after Veterans Day. As in every previous year, we'll do our Tribute to Veterans on Saturday morning. But this year we'll be approaching our tribute a little differently, including how we'll conclude it. After a sing-along of the songs of each of the military services, we'll end by playing Taps as an audience-join-in. Everyone is encouraged to bring an "A" flute and play along. The tablature for Taps is shown here, and will be projected on the screen. Practice up and plan to join us and join in, adding your sound to our collective tribute.

09/22/2026

Our initial benefit concert in Rockledge on Sep 2 was a big success and, just as important, everyone had a great time. In just under 2 weeks, on Oct 4th, we'll wrap up this year's benefit concert series at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of West Volusia in DeLand. If you are not already familiar with (or a fan of) Painted Raven, this little video provides a brief glimpse into their artistry, which will be on stage at the concert. So, mark it on your calendar and head over to https://nativerhythmsfestival.com/benefit-concerts/ to reserve your tickets, and we'll see you there.

09/14/2026

TIME-CRITICAL MESSAGE: WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO!