Tossie Long

A generational San Franciscan with incarnations of Mississippi, Tossie Long is a ritual sound designer, international performer, artist, producer, and director. Nicknamed “Bone Rattler,” Long works at the intersection of music, culture, and sociopolitical edges spanning from African cosmology, rock and roll, and Afrofuturist immersive productions. As a multi-hyphenate and Grammy-nominated artist, Long is a practitioner of ceremonial music from around the world with a focus on African cosmology. Long has voyaged to Haiti, Cuba, and Benin tracing the migration of Vodou. In addition to her vocal artistry, Long co-founded and creative directed Bakanal de Afrique, a biannual Afro-urban arts and culture festival that culminated into a full length theater production. Long is the Haus Architect of Red Clay Sound Haus, a sonic centric experience and institution archiving, preserving, and amplifying Black sound in San Francisco. Long does not perform simply for the sake of performing, but rather to challenge herself and to experiment with how far she can push her perceived limits. Long’s performances and workshops have graced many premier avenues including Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Stern Grove camp and Festival, Oakland Symphony, The Stone NYC, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Harlem Museum, Oakland Museum of California, UC Berkeley, UCSF, UC Merced, We Sing Conference, State of the Movement, Zoo Labs, and Stanford D School, among others.