The Stewardship for Equity, Equal Employment and Diversity (SEEED) kicks off Diversity Days, a celebration of Skyline’s diversity, with a four part concert series starting Feb. 28, in the Gallery Theatre.

Rosemary Bell, SEEED coordinator, says that this year’s diversity event has been a year in the making. “This is a wonderful opportunity for people to experience some amazing music,” Bell said. SEEED assists Skyline College in fulfilling its commitment to celebrate the intellectual, educational, and social benefits of diversity.

First on the diversity event calendar is Sam Oludayo of the Samco Success Ensemble, who will present African “Talking Drums”. The talking drum is one of the oldest instruments used by West African musicians. The drum is played by holding it under one arm and squeezing the sides of the drum changing its pitch and tone. Oludayo will perform in the Gallery Theatre Feb. 28, from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.

John Ulloa is a Skyline history and anthropology instructor by day, who will magically transform into a percussionist and passionate performer on March 14 in the Gallery Theatre. Ulloa, whose musical career spans more than two decades, is scheduled to perform from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. With a new CD entitled “Rum and Smoke” released on Feb. 21, Ulloa wants to bring attention to Latin music and the impact it has had on American music and culture. “My mission is to spread my culture and bring people together in Unity,” says Ulloa. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ulloa’s music, three songs from his new CD are available on his MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/johnulloa. Ulloa who has two masters’ degrees, one in Latin American History and another in Social Anthropology, is remarkably able to capture the history, culture and social context of Latin culture and incorporate it into his music.

On April 18, Grammy nominated John Santos will come to Skyline to showcase his innovative use of traditional forms and instruments to produce contemporary music. Santos, who is an ethnomusicologist, has delighted audiences worldwide. Ethnomusicology is defined as “the study of music in its cultural context.” From Santos’ website, http://www.johnsantos.com, Santos states his musical philosophy. “Music is education, honesty, documentation, freedom, physical and spiritual release, an extra-sensory form of artistic human expression which speaks to issues of the heart and mind. Music is a gift which deserves the utmost respect from practitioners and listeners alike.” Santos will perform from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. in the Gallery Theatre.

Rounding out the diversity concert series is Hafez Modirzadeh. Born in 1962, the son of an Iranian father and European-American mother, Modirzadeh grew up in both France and the U.S. Modirzadeh identified early with blues and jazz as well as the rich traditions of Iranian music. Modirzadeh is a jazz composer, saxophonist, who invented the “chromodal” improvisational method. Modirzadeh’s method permits a cross-cultural “conversation” between instruments and performers. Modirzadeh will perform from 7:15 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 19.