World Music Theme for Swingin' at Mothers Rest

World music will blend with the sound of children playing at Swingin' in Mothers Rest, an annual free concert at the popular Fenway playground, Wednesday, July 20, at 6:00 p.m. Exciting Berklee-based world music acts Vaughnette and Women of the World will perform. Mothers Rest playground is located in the Back Bay Fens at the corner of Boylston Street and Fenway. Picnics and folding chairs are encouraged. The event is wheelchair accessible. Presenters of Swingin' in Mothers Rest are Berklee College of Music, the Fenway Civic Association, and the City of Boston ParkARTS program.

The concert is part of Berklee's Summer in the City series with more than 80 free outdoor concerts. As the Summer in the City presenting sponsor, Natixis Global Asset Management is committed to preserving cultural experience through the power of music. 

Hailing from La Brea in the south of Trinidad, Vaughnette has Caribbean charisma and rich, earthy vocals that deliver timeless standards and ballads. She debuted on the jazz circuit at the Steelpan and Jazz Festival as the guest vocalist with virtuoso pianist Len "Boogsie" Sharpe. Prolific performances followed at the San Fernando Jazz Festival, appearing with visionary Carlton Alexander and the Coalpot Band, at Sando Jazz alongside Botswanan flugelhorn player Socca Moruakgomo, and at Jazz on the Beach, in Tobago.  

Women of the World is an international vocal ensemble whose music is borderless and spirited, with an undeniable message of peace. Founded by Ayumi Ueda, from Japan, the group includes Ali Rapetti from the United States, Katerina Polemi from Greece/Brazil, Giorgia Renosto from Italy, and Annette Philip from India. Fans who follow Women of the World are a diverse assembly drawn by the repertoire of songs performed in a myriad of languages: Bulgarian, Cuban, Ladino, Brazilian, African, Indian, and Japanese. In 2010 the group shared the stage with iconic African vocalist Angelique Kidjo. Women of the World's recent New York debut was at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.