Eddie Ade Knowles - Faculty and Staff

Dr. Eddie Ade Knowles is an accomplished musician with over 40 years of performance, residency, workshop, and recording credits as a percussionist. His artistic focus is on African and Afro-Cuban music and dance. He has performed and/or recorded with the Dinizulu Dancers, Drummers and Singers; Amagagu ka Shaka South African Dance and Music Company; The Simba Dancers and Drummers; Kim & Reggie Harris; Caribe Mambo; Gil-Scott Heron and the Midnight Band; and The Original Last Poets. Ade was also the co-founder and artistic managing director of the Griot Dance Company and The New African Music Collective. He is currently an Adjunct Faculty member and teaches “Introduction to Afro-Cuban Percussion.”

For 3 consecutive years, Ade received the prestigious honor of Artist in Residence through the New York State Foundation for the Arts. In 1996, Ade was accepted for a residency in Afro-Cuban Folkloric Music at the Banff Center for the Arts, Alberta Canada. He has many years of service as a member of the board of directors of the historic Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, as past president, vice president, and chair of the program committee. In 1995, Ade was selected by Metroland, a regional arts publication, as a “Local Hero.” This honor is “an annual tribute to area residents who make a difference.” Ade is listed in Who’s Who in the East, Who’s Who Among Black Americans, and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.

Ade received a B.A. from Lincoln University (Pennsylvania), M.A. from Columbia University, and Ph.D. from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University of Albany.  In addition to his Adjunct Faculty status, Dr. Knowles also serves as Vice President for Student Life. He has also published in scholarly journals and education magazines.

In 2004, Ade founded and serves as Artistic Director of Ensemble Congeros, a group of Rensselaer alums and current students dedicated to the study and performance of Afro-Cuban, African, and New World percussion.  Ensemble Congeros was founded as an outgrowth of the interest and passion of Rensselaer students who successfully completed Dr. Knowles’ course.  Inspired by the experience and window into the social and religious music of Cuban Congeros, several graduates convinced him to continue to nurture and guide their sustained interest in “chasing the rhythms.” Congeros are known for their commitment to rhythm and the drum as the medium for communication.