BURLINGTON — The show began with a rousing Lingala song by members of the Congolese Catholic Choir.
“Hello! Bonjour! Mbote na yo! Jambo!” said Jules Wetchi, one of the musicians who make up All The Rivers, an ensemble of 20 musicians from 10 different countries, during a performance at The Flynn last month.
Many in the audience echoed the greetings in the languages they recognized.
The group’s debut show was curated by international musicians who now call Vermont home. The hope is to raise funds for local organizations that support immigrants in light of the Trump administration’s intensified federal immigration operations.
As Burlington High School students attended the free, exclusive preview of All The Rivers the morning of March 11, two miles away, in South Burlington, a much different action was unfolding. Federal immigration officials, targeting an immigrant family living on Dorset Street, drew a crowd of protesters that lasted most of the day.
The diverse ensemble first performed at the Festival of Fools downtown in 2024, led by Avi Salloway, an American musician and activist who was part of the Burlington-grown rock band Billy Wylder.
Salloway’s passion for music and cross-cultural collaboration has taken him around the world, from touring the world with his band from North Africa to working with Palestinian and Israeli youth musicians.
“I have been lucky and fortunate to have a lot of experience working with people from different backgrounds and cultures,” said Salloway, 40, a graduate of the University of Vermont. He moved back from Los Angeles two and a half years ago and was initially worried about the lack of cultural diversity.
“I’ve always had a deep affinity and connection to Vermont. And zooming out, it really does have a very welcoming community and a progressive aspect that I really appreciate.”
The concert at the Flynn was supposed to be a one off, said Emily Landenberger, a friend of Salloway’s and a spokesperson for the group.
“But in light of all of the tension and trauma that the immigrant community is facing right now, Avi wanted to reconvene the group,” she said.
“I think it’s really exciting to have this ensemble really kind of taking off. I think it’s filling a really important void in the movement to build immigrant justice,” Salloway said.
Two worlds — two miles apart
The March 11 concert began with high school students walking to the free show downtown and ended with a concert that evening. Proceeds from the show benefitted the immigrant choir as well as two immigrant organizations: Migrant Justice and the Association of Africans Living in Vermont.
But as music sought to build bridges between immigrant and American culture, another event two miles away threatened to shatter it.
After a police chase seeking the wrong man led to a chaotic standoff at a Dorset Street home, protesters gathered as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched a targeted raid that would lead to a 12-hour standoff, wrongful arrests and questions about constitutional overreach in the days to come.
“It was the polar opposite experience of what was happening down at the Flynn that day,” Salloway said.
Not knowing about the raid at the time, morning show attendees discussed the importance of celebrating cultures and protecting their immigrant neighbors, many of whom appear to have been targeted by continued federal mass deportation actions this year. The venue had locked the front doors during the show to protect the student community from potential immigration surveillance.
The principal of Burlington High School addressed students at the start of the matinee show. “We want to acknowledge that this week and this whole year, in some ways, has been hard at times at BHS,” said Sabrina Westdijk on the Flynn stage. “And while we have celebrated some really big successes together, we’ve also suffered loss together. And that makes today feel all the more special.”
By the end of the day, one of Salloway’s musician friends was pepper sprayed in the face during the Dorset Street turmoil. Salloway said she joined the group to sing in the encore that evening.
“It was really powerful to hear her reflection of, ‘Wow, I feel like I’m coming from hell into a heaven space here’ with just the polarity of what was going on,” he said.
“We’re really proud that a lot of Vermonters were showing up so defiantly, in support up the road, and that we’re able to carry on and really shine a bright light through the artistry of our immigrant community with All The Rivers,” Salloway said.
Concerts for solidarity
Named after the novel “All the Rivers,” by Dorit Rabinyan, which tells the story of a love affair between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man, the ensemble has decided to extend its efforts to future concerts.
The reconvened troupe has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $100,000 to help them tour, hold educational workshops, record a debut album and film a documentary to continue to raise awareness about world music, cultures and the importance of supporting immigrants in Vermont and beyond.
“We face some serious adversity with the authoritarian crackdown on our immigrant neighbors, our brothers and sisters,” Salloway said.
The group is scheduled to play at the jazz festival in Burlington on June 6, in Randolph on June 21 and in Springfield, Massachusetts on July 11. The touring ensemble is expected to include a rotating cast of musicians.
On March 11, Salloway was among the performers who sang in six languages and weaved musical traditions from West Africa, Haiti, Colombia, Mexico, the Congo and beyond. Many of the musicians are refugees from conflict zones who have resettled in Vermont.
Wetchi, 47, who started the Congolese Catholic Choir in 2016, translated “Ebale Mbonge,” the philosophical introductory song from Lingala.
“Life is like a wavy ocean or a stormy sea,” he said on stage. “You have to know how to navigate your way around. The world is not an easy place. Everyday, think to be smart. Be wise about how you can guide your life around the storm sea of life.”
Former BHS student Clementine Nabintu was among the band participants. She came from Burundi two years ago and said she was pleased to find a diverse group to sing with. She was happy to be able to perform for current students, she said.
The lineup included Woodstock resident Steeve Valcourt of the Haitian band Lakou Mizik, Burlington residents Ousmane Camara, a master balafonist from Guinea, Assane Coly, a master percussionist from Senegal, and first-generation Japanese American percussionist Daiki Hirano. Ernesto Villalobos flew in from Veracruz, Mexico the day before to perform with the team.
“Our story ain’t over/ This page has just begun/ Out of the darkness/ Step into the sun,” went the chorus of “We Are The One,” a song written by Salloway and All The Rivers.
Colombian-born singer-songwriter Cintia Lovo Arias, 42, from Cabot, said it’s been challenging to learn songs in different languages but she was pleased to be a part of a show to inspire the younger generation.
Jory Hearst, an English teacher at the high school who attended the show said the event felt timely. “This music is made by our neighbors and our community members in Burlington. We believe it will be a reminder of the beauty and joy all around us.”
Maiz Vargas Sandoval, a Costa Rica-born bassist and founder of the Latin world fusion ensemble Mal Maïz, said the show was ultimately “an act of love and liberation demonstrating to the world that love is more powerful than hate.”
