Bach’s Lunch: West African Drumming Traditions (Grace Schust and Lindsey Schust)

Come experience the joy of the West African drumming traditions!

Grace and Lindsey Schust, mother-daughter team and directors of the Songweaver Drummers, will give an interactive talk and demonstration to the Concord area on January , 2026 as a part of our Bach’s Lunch series.

The Schust family has a deep connection with the West African drum traditions. In the late 1990s, they opened a custom drum business, Timbre Drums, and built a large “ashiko” drum for Nigerian music icon Babatunde Olatunji, which he played around the world. Their “Baba drum” was shown in the Brookline Museum from 2023-2024 as a part of Spike Lee’s “Creative Sources” exhibit.

Anyone who heard a Songweaver’s concert will be familiar with integral role of the drums through-out. Grace Schust founded the Songweaver Drummers in 1993, joined by Lindsey in 2003. The drumming ensemble grew out of the Songweavers women’s community chorus.

Grace and Lindsey will talk about the joys of drumming as a cross-cultural pathway, wellness practice, and community builder. They will talk about the influence of Olatunji’s drum teaching method and his far reaching influence on popularizing African drums abroad.

The Schusts will demonstrate traditional West African rhythms and chants and get the audience involved with call and response singing.

Bach’s Lunches are free and open to the public. They are made possible in part through the generosity of the Walker Fund.