Trudy Hipwell
Drumming
Trudy Hipwell is a Calgary-based drummer and percussionist.
In 1996, after many years as a rock drummer, Trudy fell in love with the djembe drum and the energetic traditional music of West Africa, and has been playing it non-stop since then. To immerse herself in the repertoire and culture of this tradition, she travels internationally to study with master drummers, most notably pre-eminent djembefolas Mamady Keita and Famoudou Konate from Guinea. She has been studying by invitation at Mamady’s Professional level workshops in the USA since 2006. Trudy was recently awarded a grant by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts in order to further her studies in Guinea in January of 2009.
Trudy is very active in Calgary’s West African drum and dance community, leading dance accompaniment ensembles and teaching at prominent studios. She plays in and leads accompaniment ensembles for visiting international dance artists, and has organized and sponsored two successful drumming workshops with Mamady Keita in Calgary.
She also performs with West African music groups Mamaya, and Saba Drum and Dance, and is the conga player for Calgary latin dance band Latin Beat.