Shodekeh Talifero's portfolio

Immersion: Ethnomusicology, Ambassadorship & Traditional Explorations Around The World.

Current cultural affiliations through active board membership: The Asian Arts & Culture Center of Towson University, the Baltimore Sister Cities Program (Baltimore-Kawasaki & Baltimore-Liberia) & the Maryland Folklife Center Feasibility Committee.

Previous Board Memberships: The Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance (2012-2017).

A Fight For Music, People & Culture.

Shodekeh, an African name of Nigerian origin. Definition - "Warrior. One who fights for what he believes."
The Global Phenomenon of the Human Beatbox: Shodekeh & Северин Сигуней @ the Sayan Ring Festival in Abakan, Russia, 2012.

"Beatboxing fundamentally began in New York City in conjunction with the birth of the hip-hop subculture on the streets of Harlem. In the early to mid-eighties, three names stand out head and shoulders above the rest - Darren 'Buffy' Robinson, Doug E Fresh and Biz Markie. They are crowned as the first three pioneers of beatboxing in their own respective and innovative ways. Thanks to the internet, beatboxing has become a global phenomenon enjoyed by millions internationally." - Human Beatbox.com
Daina Fusion: Shodekeh & Lithuanian Folk Singers in Siauliai, Lithuania for the US Embassy of Lithunania program American Month of Culture, 2009.

"The development of Lithuanian folk music has been documented about a hundred years. In 1908–1909 the first Lithuanian folk melodies were recorded on wax cylinders by Eduard Wolter, professor at the St. Petersburg University & an eminent scholar of the Lithuanian language, history, archaeology & folklore. In 1911 Lithuanian folk songs were recorded by another famous specialist in Lithuanian philology professor at the Helsinki University Aukusti Robert Niemi (his cylinders are stored in Helsinki)." - The Institute of Lithuanian Literature & Folklore.
Kwanzaa Celebration with Founder of Kwanzaa Dr. Maulana Karenga @ The Reginald F. Lewis Museum, with musical guests Sankofa Dance Theater & Shodekeh. Photo by the Baltimore Sun, 2013.

"Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder of Kwanzaa, joins this year's Kwanzaa Celebration to make it extra special. Sankofa Dance Theater entertains us with storytelling and African dancing. Beatboxer Shodekeh joins them for an electrifying, improvised “Drum Talk." An interactive children’s workshop on the principles of Kwanzaa is led by Culture Kingdom Kids. Shop at the African marketplace of crafts, clothing, & more." - The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, Smithsonian Affiliate.
Silk Road Fusion: Members of the Silk Road Ensemble, featuring special guests Shodekeh & Alash at Smithsonian's Freer & Sackler Galleries, 2017.

"Deeply inspired by Yo-Yo’s lifelong pursuit to better understand his neighbors, we take on the collective stewardship of Silkroad with the firm belief that embracing difference leads to a more hopeful world. As we consider the values of inclusion and curiosity that drew us together in the first place, we are energized by the prospect of what we can achieve, and we have been hard at work formulating a vision for the years ahead." - Silk Road Ensemble.
Emissary: Shodekeh, board member of the Asian Arts & Culture Center of Towson University, with the Tibetan Monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery, 2016.

"From October 31 through November 3, Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery return to Towson U to create the Akshobhya mandala sand painting. The Akshobhya Buddha is known as the Unshakeable Victor for conflict resolution and peace. Their residency includes the mandala sand painting demonstration, lectures and closing ceremony." - The Asian Arts & Culture Center of Towson University.
Kurdish Fusion: Ghazi Kurdistani with Shodekeh & Ali & Halgurd Omar during World Refugee Day @ The Walters Art Museum, 2013.

"The international showcase celebrates Baltimore as the home to talented refugees and immigrants. Baltimore’s favorite beat boxer, Shodekeh, headlines w/ all of the international acts. Eritrean husband & wife, Abebe Setarge & Eyersaliem Zemichael, sing to African beats. Sokoja Kondorka, musician from Darfur, sings in native masalit and fur languages while playing electric guitar. Visit our organizations on the Sculpture Court throughout the day and hear indigenous Kurdish music by Ghazi Kurdistani, Ali Omar & Halgurd Omar." - The Creative Alliance.
Prince Edward Islands Meets Baltimore: Shodekeh & Vishten @ the American Folk Festival in Bangor, Maine, 2016.

"For more than a decade, Acadian power trio Vishtèn has gained a prominent position on the international stage. These multi-instrumentalists combine unprecedented arrangements of traditional Acadian songs with dazzling instrumental creations with Acadian & Celtic flavors, all transcended by a contemporary sensibility & rock & indie-folk influences." - Vishten.
Cyber Trad: A musical experiment that combines melodic sensibilities from traditional Irish and Breton music, and blends them with rhythmic elements of contemporary Quebecois, funk, and Hip Hop.

"But perhaps the album’s most compelling inclusion is the percussive backing. Talifero grew up around hip hop music and his work here adds substantially to Olwell’s artistic vision. His contribution is uniformly interesting, but is effective on a track like “Bal Plin / The Evil Fairy,” where his beatboxing engages with the melodic nuances of Olwell’s playing in a most responsive way. It’s particularly good on “Ingonish / The Queen of May,” where he beatboxes as Olwell lilts." - The Irish Echo.
Bhangra Fusions: Red Baraat, featuring Shodekeh during the 2017 IlluminAsia Festival @ the Smithsonian's Freer & Sackler Galleries. Photo by Cory Herl Grace.

"The pioneering Brooklyn Bhangra, party juggernaut, Red Baraat have made a name for themselves as one of the best live bands playing anywhere in the world. Led by dhol drummer Sunny Jain, the drum and brass + guitar band delivers an unprecedented, high energy, gut-busting fusion of jazz, hip-hop beats, rock muscle, funky go-go, and scalding hot bhangra." - Red Baraat.

Kinesis: Music For Movement & Dance.

"One night in 2006, Towson University dance professor Vincent Thomas was at a poetry slam where Talifero performed. Afterward, the two exchanged business cards, and the beatboxer has been working with Towson University ever since. "Sitting in a cafe chair my body and spirits began to move. I was so intrigued with what sounds were being captured in the tightly held microphone," Thomas says about that initial meeting. "It was a musical journey, like riding the roller coaster of Space Mountain. I had to know more about him and to hear more of his musical abilities. My mind immediately raced to my modern dance classes I was teaching at Towson University." "I knew his musical abilities would pair with physical bodies moving through space. This, is artistic and educational research firsthand, Thomas adds. "This collaborative journey of movement and sound/music has been so rich for the learning and creative aspects of our students and faculty alike. It has expanded possibilities of our art and adds to the rich fabric of our department." - Towson University.

Voice + Movement Synthesis: Shodekeh's + Towson University Dance Alumni Krysia Bock's Collaborations, 2006 - 2013.

"The Corcoran College of Art and Design (500 17th St. NW) will be hosting Shodekeh at 7 p.m. in collaboration with dancer and choreographer Krysia Bock. He'll also be holding workshops with students all weekend to conceptualize his performance. The performance is part of the weekly Corcoran Uncorked, which is free for members and students." - The Washington Examiner. Photo by Philip Edward Laubner.
"Beatbox and Ballet" Documentary Short, Ft. Shodekeh Talifero & The Towson University Department of Dance, 2014.

Dubscience Films Presents its first Short Film!!! Beatbox & Ballet featuring Shodekeh Talifero.
A Windpipe For Dance: Shodekeh, Music Faculty at the American Dance Festival @ Duke University, 2007 - 2010.

"Heralded as “One of the nation’s most important institutions” by the New York Times and as “The world’s greatest dance festival” by the New York Post, the American Dance Festival’s sustained record of creative achievement is indivisible from the history of modern dance. Since 1934, ADF has remained committed to serving the needs of dance, dancers, choreographers, and professionals in dance-related fields." - The American Dance Festival.
Shodekeh: Music Faculty for the American Dance Festival NYC @ LaGuardia Arts, 2009.

"ADF is fortunate to have some of the finest dance musicians in the country on its roster."
- The American Dance Festival @ Duke University.
play • ground @ Colorado College Department of Theatre & Dance. Breath Art designed & performed by Shodekeh. Choreographical Concept and Design by Patrizia Herminjard. Photo by Patrizia Herminjard, 2024.

"Play is essential. It’s spontaneous, engaging, and sparks a tangible exchange of energy. Play is also undervalued, dismissed, and typically reserved for children. Starting from the notion that unstructured play is a fertile playground for creativity, the collaborative process that led to making play • ground with the dancers, was largely rooted in impromptu play and experimentation." - Patrizia Herminjard.
play • ground @ the Colorado College Department of Theatre & Dance. Breath Art designed & performed by Shodekeh. Choreographical Concept and Design by Patrizia Herminjard, 2024.

"When centering ‘playing’ in the creative process, we let go of expectations, fall into the present moment, and become uninhibited. Play, in its simplest form is about being open to the idea that anything is possible. It is the blueprint to imagining solutions. Harnessing play readies us to create change and imagine new stories, forging our future."
- Patrizia Herminjard.
"Warp Trance Riff" by Senga Nengudi, Shodekeh & Ella Boyd Brocker @ the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center @ Colorado College, 2025.

In this most recent academic year I was awarded the National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Teaching Professorship here at Colorado College for 2024 - 2025, & one of my main projects in this fellowship as the very first "Breath Artist-in-Residence" was to reimagine Senga Nengudi's multimedia + fabric art piece "Warp Trance" directly with the legendary "process artist" herself.
"Warp Trance Riff" by Senga Nengudi, Shodekeh & Ella Boyd Brocker @ the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center @ Colorado College, 2025.

The video art of this work is now available for viewing on You Tube, & I'm so very inspired by Senga's holistic brilliance & neverending curatorial process, as she has found a way to subtly edit, stitch, collage & essentially "fabricize" my creative breath techniques + embodied movements & the collaborative choreography of CC dance major Ella Boyd Brocker into the very artwork itself.
"Corps de Ballet" choreographed & directed by Kate Hutchison. Breath Art composition by Shodekeh, 2023.

"The wispy quality of professional ballerinas sets a precedent for aspiring dancers that is often unachievable through healthy practices. As a result, young dancers are typically tempted to change their bodies by overexercising or under-eating. Director Katherine Hutchinson visually expresses how ballet shaped her body image using aerial dance and an original score. The film demonstrates the restriction of body shame and the freedom of relinquishing that shame."
- The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival.
"Corps de Ballet" choreographed & directed by Kate Hutchinson. Breath Art composition by Shodekeh. Winner of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Award of Best Integration of Music Into Film at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, 2023.

"In my interviews with current and former ballet dancers, I found their stories of body shame and eating disorders echoed my own. We pushed ourselves through 8 hours of dance with nothing but a granola bar in our stomachs. We hated wearing a leotard and tights in front of a mirror all day. We all had these experiences and still, many of my interview questions were met with the phrase, “I’ve never told anyone this but…” To start conversations about body shame in the performing arts, I am creating a collaborative video project using aerial dance and original music to express how ballet shaped my body image. This piece will demonstrate the restriction of body shame and the freedom of relinquishing that shame."
- Kate Hutchinson.

Museum Danger: Film, Art & Visual Interpretations of the Human Beatbox.

Current Film & Visual Work: Shodekeh is actively one of seven musicians/subjects featured in the major motion picture documentary "Our Rhythm", now currently shooting in Brazil, which also had it's first major trailer screening this year at the 2017 TEDxPittsburgh.

Jazz Stracts: A painting created live in the moment by artist David Cunningham, of a performance at Center Stage featuring Shodekeh & Jazz musicians Kevin Robinson & Vatel Cherry, 2008.

"Mr. Cunningham is a developing artist who is constantly working with people and observing many situations through creative problem solving. His emphasis has been to create a greater perception and clarity in his waking version of the world. He cares a great deal for the children and adults he meets each day. The social concerns and qualities for the development of life through the means of art is his current language of choice. As a painter, Mr. Cunningham opens many doors in order to decipher a renewal within his vision." - The Maryland State Arts Council.
River / Alash: Artwork by Jabari Weathers.

"He is presently seeking refuge in Baltimore, Maryland. Currently, he makes fantasy and sci-fi art for himself and others to keep up his glamor (and because it’s fun). Other things that he enjoys are pen and paper role playing games, singing in public places, and things that are thoroughly uncanny." - About the artist Jabari Weathers.
Hood.
Tuv.
Shu-De: A dynamic & cinematic case study in filmmaking, music documentation & the dangers of context negligence on & behind the camera.
Our Rhythm: A dynamic & cinematic case study in filmmaking, music documentation & the holistic benefits of contextual exploration, featuring Shodekeh.
DC.
Musical Interpretationist in Residence: My kinetic music installation for the Resident Reunion Group Exhibition @ The Creative Alliance, February 6th - March 19th, 2016.

"Creative Alliance is proud to present the Resident Artists Reunion Group Exhibition. Nearly 50 artists have made The Patterson’s eight studios, where they live and work, a home since 2003 after the Creative Alliance redeveloped the vacant Patterson Movie Theater into Baltimore’s premier multi-arts center." - The Creative Alliance.
Ireland.
Air Branches: An X-ray image of my lungs, reinterpreted & synthesized with an illustrated windpipe & tree branches by multimedia visual artist Erica Hansen.

"This body of work examines the psyology and mythology of song. They were created to illustrate the embodiment of song through three specific vocal artists and traditions. Beat-Boxing, Operatic singing, and Tuvian Throat singing were embodied by Dominic Shodekeh, Bonnie Lander and Ian Hessler, in a series of performances through 2012. Embody Air, Fire, and Water are part of an animation series that accompanies the performers." - Erican Hansen.

Historiography: For Whom It Stands, Untold Stories of the Flag & the American People. Music Researcher & Curator in residence of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Smithsonian Affiliate, 2013 - 2015.

Geneological Research. Lift Every Voice & Sing. Black Business Experiment, 2014. The Upton Mansion. Conceptual Time Capsule of the year 2100. Tu-Wa Moja. Dynamics of Existential Sustainability.

FWIS.
For Whom It Stands.
The Flag House.
Shodekeh in Residence.
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Interfaith.
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Shodekeh-Talifero, Upton Mansion.
Genealogy.
fwis.

The 5th Element: The Timeless Traditions of Hip Hop, Beatboxing & B-Boy Subculture in the 21st Century.

Previous Hip Hop Collaborations: KRS-ONE. DJ Q-Bert. The American Beatbox Championships. DOA. Kenny Muhammad: The Human Orchestra.

City Paper Big Music Issue, Hip Hop Edition.
Sho @ the J Dilla Tribute, hosted by Grap Luva.
Sho & Jerell, Sons of Hip Hop.
Graffiti Mandalas.
Shodekeh, Q Bert & Rizqi Rachmat.
Lester Spence's photo research for the book Stare in the Darkness: The Limits of Hip-hop and Black Politics.
Sho & Symantyx.
The 5th Element United: Shodekeh + Max Bent together representing the Human Beatbox, one of the primary pillars of Hip Hop Culture. Photo by Julie Bent.

"Max Bent makes music with his mouth. Beat boxing is the vocal art of producing percussive and melodic elements simultaneously using the mouth, tongue, sinus cavity, etc. Max has 22 years of beat boxing experience and has performed widely in both the real and virtual world. He is best known for his tutorial videos on the popular beat box website www.beatbox.TV. He organized the 2003 DC beat box expo and released a successful beat box themed DVD entitled Foundations. Max is currently developing a beat boxing program for middle school and high school students in Baltimore, MD." - The Maryland State Arts Council.
The Hip Hop tradition of Beatboxing, influenced by Go Go Traditions.
HH.

Shyngyrash: Traditional Tuvan Throat Singing + Human Beatbox Fusions in the 21st Century.

Current Musical Affiliations with Traditional Tuvan Folk Music & Throat Singing: Beatboxer / Vocal Percussionist of Alash, represented by Myriad Artists.

Active Cultural Liaison to the Tuvan Cultural Center & the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tuva.

Alash & Shodekeh, live in concert with Hazmat Modine @ (le) Poisson Rouge, New York City, November 2nd, 2013.
TEDxBaltimore 2016.
Fuyuki Yamakawa.
Kongar-ol Ondar & Shodekeh @ the Tuvan Cultural Center. Kyzyl, Tuva, 2012.
Alash & Shodekeh, Smithsonian.
Alash & Shodekeh, Smithsonian.
Son of Tuva.
Alash, Joyce Scott.
Sho & Traditional Tuvan Wrestling.
Alash's third album Achai, featuring Shodekeh, released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2017.

"Alash's inclusion of master Beatboxer & musical adventurer Shodekeh on the album represents a deliberate choice in their vision of the future development of Tuvan music. Since Alash's formation, the group members have sought to master the roots of their deep musical heritage & yet find ways to participate in the interconnected sound world of the 21st century." - Alash.

Coda: Classical Music + Hip Hop Fusions in the 21st Century.

Current professional & musical affiliations with Classical Music / Repertoire: Beatboxer & Cultural Ambassador of Classical Revolution.

Upcoming Classical / Symphonic performances & presentations: The Columbia Orchestra (January 2018) & the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra (March 2018).

Former board member of Rhymes With Opera.

The Violinist & The Human Beatbox.

"Having performed the Mendelssohn some 20 times — she played it in that first performance with Ms. Kuan in North Carolina — she obviously enjoys the piece. But she said her tastes also run to free improvisation & the odd pairing, like the one with the beatboxer Shodekeh in which she offered a hip-hop-inflected, filigreed account of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” - The New York Times.
Symphonic Fusion: Shodekeh, Marin Alsop & the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, July 23rd, 2010.

"Shodekeh accompanies all manner of dancers, records with the likes of the composer Meredith Monk and, with the Hartford Symphony, will reprise “Fujiko’s Fairy Tale,” a concerto by the Finnish composer Jan Mikael Vainio. Shodekeh first performed the piece in July 2010 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra." - The New York Times.
Shodekeh: Resident Beatboxer & Cultural Ambassador of Classical Revolution, Baltimore, MD.

"Classical Revolution was founded on November 12th 2006 by Charith Premawardhana at Revolution Cafe in the Mission District of San Francisco. The mission of Classical Revolution is to present live chamber music involving both traditional & modern approaches to the art form while engaging a broad & diverse community by offering these performances at low or no cost in highly accessible venues, such as cafes & bars." - Classical Revolution.
Shodekeh & the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, 2011.
Shodekeh as an ensemble member of Classical Revolution @ TEDxMidAtlantic 2012, Washington D.C.

"Classical Revolution is built around the idea that performing live classical music can change communities. Founded in 2007 in San Francisco, the idea has spread all around the world. Rafaela Dreisin of the Baltimore chapter of Classical Revolution will lead a combined group of musicians from both DC and Baltimore in a regional collaboration crafted specifically for TEDxMidAtlantic 2012." - TEDxMidAtlantic.
Sho'.
The Music of Frank Zappa & Philip Glass, featuring Shodekeh with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, July 23rd, 2010.
Brahms & Beatboxing @ the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, featuring Shodekeh, 2012.
Shodekeh & the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra of Johns Hopkins University, March 3rd & 4th, 2018.

"Back at home in Shriver Hall, we present Vocal Percussionist/Beatboxer Shodekeh performing two sunny and rhythmically engaging selections from Smetana's Bartered Bride in a cultural meld that is 21st-century Baltimore and 19th-century central Europe. The program culminates in Stravinsky's revolutionary and always magnetic Rite of Spring." - The Hopkins Symphony Orchestra.
Shodekeh, soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, 2013 & 2014.

Jazz/Age: A Non-Linear Tribute Through Hip Hop + Beatboxing in the 21st Century.

Lafayette Gilchrist & Shodekeh. Photo by Wendel Patrick, 2015.

"On Sunday evening, the regular rhythm section was joined by special guest Shodekeh, Baltimore's beatbox specialist extraordinaire. His inventive vocal percussion added a new level of complexity that markedly enhanced the material. And when he took a solo, he held his own with any of the jazz soloists on stage." - The City Paper, "Lafayette Gilchrist and the New Volcanoes impressively blend jazz and go-go at the Windup Space."
Ethel Gives Thanks: Ethel Ennis, featuring Shodekeh & the Stef Sciaggari Trio at the Creative Alliance, November 27th, 2010.

"Shodekeh performed with Ethel Ennis and her trio at the Creative Alliance last year. "I'd had my eye on her for awhile," he says. "She has a lot of musical tricks up her sleeve. It took Ethel out of her comfort zone," says her husband, Earl Arnett. But it was improvisation, and I've done a lot of that over the years," adds Ennis. "You know, beatboxing is really just a new name for something that's very old." - Baltimore Magazine.
Shodekeh & Towson University Jazz Major/Saxophonist Liam Hurlbut @ Towson University, 2014. Photo by Olivia Mika.

"Towson is recognized as one of the finest music programs in Maryland. Our programs in music education, performance, composition, and jazz draw outstanding students who pursue successful careers in music." - Towson University Department of Music.
Jazz & Soul vocalist Navasha Daya & Shodekeh, in conversation during Embody, a series of the Vocal Arts, 2016.

"Called an “Astral Soul Goddess” by the prestigious UK publication Mojo Magazine, Navasha Daya is an exceptionally gifted and seasoned singer, songwriter, producer, musician, performing arts curator, certified holistic wellness practitioner, and spiritual and cultural arts activist who from childhood was inspired and encouraged to use her voice and talents to uplift others and inspire change." - Navasha Daya.
The Treme Brass Band, Benny Jones Sr. & special guest Shodekeh @ the American Folk Festival in Bangor, Maine, 2016.

"New Orleans' legendary Treme Brass Band has played traditional New Orleans brass band music for decades and is loved all around the world. The musicians of Treme Brass Band are survivors. Treme Brass Band gained fans around the world via the HBO show "Treme" as well as appearances in Spike Lee's documentary "When The Levees Broke" and the popular television show NCIS New Orleans on CBS." - The Treme Brass Band.
Jazz Diaspora: Shodekeh performing with the legendary New Orleans Pianist Henry Butler & New Orleans Musical Ambassador Lilian Boutté @ the Conference on World Affairs Jazz Concert, 2009.

"After watching Shodekeh perform in Colorado, Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert later wrote about the experience in his online journal: “He picked up a mike, and I assumed he was a vocalist. Well, in a way he was. Shodekeh is a percussionist who plays his body as his instrument. He's the only percussion section I've ever seen with choreography.” - The Maryland State Arts Council.
Sho & Jazz Cats.
Michael Mwenso & the Shakes, featuring Shodekeh.

"Whether fulfilling the role of vocalist, emcee, showman, or impresario, Michael Mwenso conveys both the sophistication and spontaneity of hardcore jazz and the music’s folkloric roots with impeccable craft, creativity, and communicative flair. Most frequently, Mwenso performs as leader—or ringleader—of Michael Mwenso and The Shakes, a revue comprising between three to five vocalists and a rotating ensemble that includes rising stars like drummers Joe Saylor and Jamison Ross." - Michael Mwenso.
Marc Avon Evans & Shodekeh @ Be Free Fridays, 2016.

"Marc A. Evans, a native Baltimorean, was born into music. Yet amazingly, this son of a vocalist and jazz saxophonist didn't discover his own music until his late teens. Finally, as a student at Morgan State University, under the tutelage of Dr. Nathan Carter, Evans began nurturing a love for music. Out of that nurturing arises one of the most sultry, smoky baritones ever." - Marc Avon Evans.
Jazz Drummer, Vocalist & Composer Erik Kennedy & Shodekeh.

"Eric Kennedy, a Baltimore native, is a drummer, vocalist, percussionist, educator and composer. Eric’s introduction to all styles of music and early music training was initiated by his musical relatives, who also cultivated his love of jazz. Eric continued his arts education at the Baltimore School for the Arts studying classical percussion and voice with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra percussionist John Locke, Donna Di Stefano and the late Dr. Nathan Carter and Ms. Jewel Churn of Frederick Douglass HIgh School." - Eric Kennedy.

Biomusicology: The Scientific Explorations, Theories & Research of the Human Beatbox.

Upcoming science related work & research: Beatbox Algebra, led by guest lecturer Shodekeh @ Johns Hopkins University, January, 2018.

Previous science related work & collaborations: The Research Remix @ Johns Hopkins University. NASA Goddard. The Maryland STEM Festival. This Week In Science.

Neuro Rhythms: Shodekeh, Science Panelist & Musician of Music & The Brain @ the American Visionary Museum.

"This exhibition's 100+ visionary artists/scientists/inventors and philosophers take a fresh look at the very notion of light, color, sound, pattern, number, scale, and purpose in their personal pursuit of Wonder." - Music & The Brain, science event gathering of the exhibition The Marriage of Art, Science & Philosophy @ the American Visionary Arts Museum.
The College of Arts & Sciences: Guest Science lecturer @ The University of Colorado during The Conference on World Affairs Athanaeum. Live music performance with The BLOrk [Boulder Laptop Orchestra] during the Conference on World Affairs Athanauem, 2010.

"The World Affairs Athenaeum was established in 1999 as a means of extending the cultural, intellectual environment of the Conference on World Affairs throughout the academic year. While the Conference hosts over 100 speakers & performers during one week in April, the Athenaeum is designed to focus on individual distinguished guests, & these visits are scheduled throughout the fall and spring semesters. An Athenaeum guest lecturer interacts with students in both formal & informal settings over a two or three day period." - The Conference on World Affairs.
Shodekeh @ the Neuroscience of Art, Salzburg Global Seminar, with Dr. Charles Limb. Photo courtesy of the Salzburg Global Seminar, 2015.

"Shodekeh Talifero has embarked on many collaborations over his career as a professional beatboxer - not only with other musicians from a diverse range of backgrounds, but also with neuroscientists as he seeks to reinforce his musical intuition." - The Salzburg Global Seminar.
Beatbox Algebra: Designed & led by Interdisciplinary Musician & Science Communicator Shodekeh @ John Hopkins University through an artist residency with the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, 2018.

"Through musical, scientific and verbal engagement, students will develop ways to enhance and improve their own relationship with Hip Hop vocal percussion, and also discover ways of applied practical and mathematical uses through varied formations of algebraic equations. The course also explores the history and traditions of a largely misunderstood, yet popular and now global African-American music tradition, and all of its indispensable applied scientific, linguistic and mathematical qualities." - Johns Hopkins University.
The Art + Science of Figure Drawing: Shodekeh in a Beatbox Performance Experiment with Figure Drawing @ Corcoran.

"This course will focus on drawing from live models during each session, working primarily with black and white materials. Students will learn how to capture the pose with quick gestures, to develop a quality of line with contours, and to become familiar with proportions by measuring and foreshortening. Short drills lead to long poses and the development of more complete, detailed drawings of the human form." - The Corcoran School of Art + Design.
The Science of Extemporization: Shodekeh teaching Breath Control/Creativity + Breath Instrumentalization, Voice + Movement Techniques & Implicit Neruo-Dynamics of Improvisation @ the Hartt School of the University of Hartford.

"We are pleased to announce the December 5-7 residency of renown beatboxer and vocal percussionist, Shodekeh, created through a partnership between The Hartt School Community Division and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. As part of Shodekeh's Hartford residency he will be working with Community Division students in the Performer's Certificate Program, in the Intensive Dance Program, and he will accompany the Adult Hip Hop dance class on Monday, December 5. He will also be working with students at the Rawson Academy's ENCORE Program, one of the Community Division's several public school partnerships." - The Hartt School.
Portfolio Science: The Baker Info & Working Sessions, led by two time Baker Awardee Shodekeh, whose approach was greatly informed & inspired by elements of Probability, Analytics, Internet Design, Multiple-Intelligence Theory & Interdisciplinarity.

"The Baker Artist Portfolios were created to support artists and promote Greater Baltimore as a strong creative community. The online portfolios are open to artists working in all disciplines who live and work in Baltimore City and its five surrounding counties. The portfolios expose area artists’ work to regional, national and international audiences. The site has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of art lovers, critics, gallery owners, academics, and leaders in creative business in nearly every country around the globe. The program serves artists of all disciplines." - The Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.
Poly Modalities: The Scientists, Artists & Panelists of "The Neuroscience of Art", presented by the Salzburg Global Seminar in Salzburg, Austria, 2015.

"This Salzburg Global program represents a pioneering step to establish a neutral international forum to discuss state-of-the-art findings from a cross-disciplinary perspective, prioritize future research, and expand creative opportunities for learning, innovation and collaboration. While much research is taking place in various national and regional settings, more global dialogue is needed between specialist silos in order to catalyze knowledge exchange around the results, implications and potential practical applications of new cutting-edge research." - The Salzburg Global Seminar.
Shodekeh & Vocologist Daniel Sherwood preparing for the 2018 voice advocacy celebration "World Voice Day" presented by the Johns Hopkins Voice Center.

"The Johns Hopkins Voice Center, with multiple locations throughout the greater Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C., region, provides state-of-the-art evaluation and management for patients with voice, swallowing and airway disorders. Our team of specialists includes both fellowship-trained laryngologists and speech-language pathologists who have specialized training in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. Using a team approach, our experts are committed to providing the best possible care for people with voice, swallow and airway disorders." "The Johns Hopkins Voice Center team treats a wide variety of conditions utilizing the latest surgical, nonsurgical and in-office treatment techniques." - The JHU Voice Center.
The Neuroscience of Art Session Report 547, published by the Salzburg Global Seminar, 2016.

"Originally founded in 1947 to encourage the revival of intellectual dialogue in post-war Europe, we are a game-changing catalyst for global engagement on critical issues in education, health, environment, economics, governance, peace-building and more. We work with carefully chosen partners to drive social change in the areas of imagination, sustainability, & justice." - The Salzburg Global Seminar.

Black Larynx: Dynamics + Vodalities of Musical Experiments, Existentials & Extremophiles.

Below Zero: Shodekeh, the poster child representing the extreme nature inherent within the genres of Beatboxing + Hip Hop for the 2008 High Zero Festival of Experimental Improvised Music.

"High Zero is the premier festival of Improvised, Experimental music on the East Coast, being fully devoted to new collaborations between the most inspired improvisors from around the world. Lasting two weeks in total, the festival brings together 28 core musicians each year, but also involves a much larger subculture of musicians in Baltimore and on the East Coast. Unlike many related festivals, High Zero is not narrow in terms of sensibility or subculture, but rather widely inclusive of all the different types of experimental music-making in the moment." - High Zero.
Alumnus Ex: Shodekeh, alumni of High Zero, the Red Room & the After Now series.
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Zero Numeral.
Blur.
Versus.
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PFFF...
Monks.
Dolmen Music, Part 1 (Shodekeh’s Embody & Continuums Remix) MONK MIX (CD2): Remixes & Interpretations of Music by Meredith Monk.

"It’s darn near impossible to reinterpret material from a musical icon without diluting the original’s vitality or tampering with some key component of the artist’s vision. But local beatboxer Shodekeh effectively re-imagined Meredith Monk’s classic “Dolmen Music” as a hip-hop instrumental by enhancing it with a battery of rhythmic flourishes. The Shodekeh track, featured on Monk Mix, favored solid beats over the drift of abstraction. It exuded mystery, even as it flexed newfound might, & proved to be the highlight of a collection that also featured Bjork & DJ Spooky." - Baltimore Magazine, 2012.

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