Dirck Westervelt

Adjunct Professor of Music
World Music

Dirck Westervelt has been living and playing music in Connecticut since 1980. In the 80's, he was the piano player in Wee Willie Hunter's "Touch of Class" jazz quintet. At the same time, he was playing bass with the "Little City String Band", a group playing Old-time music from Appalachia and New England for Contra Dances and Square Dances. He  drummed, sang, and danced with Wesleyan University's Ghanaian Drumming and Dance Ensemble.

In 1986, 1991 and 1992, he traveled to Madras, South India, studying Mrdangam, a drum used in Karnatic music, and in 1990, he helped to form the Zydecats, a band devoted to playing Cajun and Zydeco music. This band often wins the ‘Best Cajun Band’ award in the Hartford Advocate Band poll. He has made several trips to Louisiana to play with Balfa Toujours, a Cajun band and Geno Delafose, a Zydeco band.

 In 1995, Dirck lived in Bamako,Mali, West Africa, playing keyboard with the “Super Rail Band of Bamako”. He lived and studied with Delimadi Tonkora, the guitarist for the Rail Band, adapting the beautiful Malian melodies to the banjo as well as the piano. In Mali he played with the Kora master Tomani Diabate as well as many of the countries best Griots. He played weddings, baptisms, as well as dance halls throughout his stay in Mali.  In 1997, Dirck lived in Harare, Zimbabwe. There he played banjo with Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited.
In addition to joining the WestConn Department of Music faculty in 2007,  Dirck has been on the faculty of the Chase Collegiate School since 2004. 

Contact: westerveltd@wcsu.edu