A globe-spanning lineup of free concerts and music events are a lively addition to the community’s summer entertainment menu, as the Lynnwood Library kicks off its first Our World music series on June 1 with a Tahitian music and dance performance at the Lynndale Park Amphitheater.

“Lynnwood’s population and diversity has increased in the past 10 to 15 years,” said Julia McConnell, the Lynnwood Library librarian who envisioned and organized the series. “Music is a good way to celebrate our diversity, especially when it’s outdoors in the summer.”

McConnell said she was inspired in part by the dazzling performance last summer from Seattle Kokon Taiko, a Japanese performing group, at Lynndale Park.

“I would have been happy if 50 people showed up, but about 200 people were there,” she said. “They’re wildly popular and it was really magical.”

McConnell said she is grateful for support from and collaboration with those who helped make the series a reality: Friends of the Lynnwood Library, Lynnwood Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts and Humanities Washington.

Schedule of events

June 1, 2-2:30 p.m.: Te Fare O Tamatoa. Experience the mesmerizing music, dance and culture of Tahiti from this Renton-based nonprofit organization. At Lynndale Park Amphitheater; in case of rain, it will take place at the Lynnwood Library.

June 15, 2-3:30 p.m.: They Want Our Rhythm, but Not Our Blues: African American Innovation through Pop Culture. LaToya Brackett, an associate professor of African American studies at the University of Puget Sound, will speak about how and why African American culture was created, and when and where it appears across multiple platforms of popular culture. At Lynnwood Library.

July 27, 2-2:30 p.m.: Washington West African Center. Heart-pounding live drumming from various regions of West Africa. At Lynndale Park Amphitheater; in case of rain, it will take place at the Lynnwood Library.

Aug. 10, 2-2:30 p.m.: Seattle Kokon Taiko. Taiko is an invigorating synthesis of drumming, movement and spirit originating in Japan. At Lynndale Park Amphitheater.

Oct. 19, 2-2:30 p.m.: Beyond Words: Storytelling through Indian Classical Dance. Indian classical Bharatanatyam dancer Piyali Biswas De uses dance to tell a captivating story with elegant movement, gesture and rhythm. At Lynnwood Library.

— By Clare McLean