Written by Lillian Liao and Riley Brady

Niwel Tsumbu playing the guitar. | Photo courtesy of Niwel Tsumbu
The tour, which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary, will feature three other musicians – Niwel Tsumbu, Lulo Reinhardt, and Alexandra Whittingham – performing solos, duets and quartets through carefully arranged pieces and creative improvisation.
“That’s the exciting part about these different musical worlds coming together: the approaches to creativity are so different,” adds Meinen.
A personable stage presence
Although his music has been described as having folk, classical, pop and jazz elements, Meinen steers clear of genre labels, preferring to describe himself as a ‘storyteller’.
“What I love about the guitar is that you can write a more or less classical piece one day,” he explains. “The next day, you take the same instrument, and you write like a reggae, or something very different.”
While he does use amplification to create a powerful sound during concerts, Meinen sees his music as embodying a ‘handmade’ element – enjoyable without technological effects, as if he was playing alone on his sofa. At Massey Theatre, he plans to bring this relaxed stage presence, breaking up his performances with personal stories.
“I try to create this feeling of ‘We are all in one room sharing some beautiful music and some stories, and it’s just a coincidence that I’m the musician now,’” he says.
One of these stories features the inspiration behind his song “Mirror of Water” – his grandfather, a shipwright who passed away at the age of 26. By composing a mix of high and low pitches and bell-like harmonics, the song mimics the sounds of waves and water droplets. Meinen is also recognized as a fingerstyle master, using his hands as opposed to a pick to play the guitar while employing different methods – like placing one’s hands on the fretboard– to create percussions.
The humanity of music
The guitar is life, says Congolese-born musician Tsumbu, hoping that his performance will allow audiences to transcend the instrument to arrive at a shared love for music. While music was always present during his childhood, Tsumbu first encountered the guitar through his brother.
He soon became so attached to playing the instrument rather than his studies, leading to the banning of the instrument at home. Continuing his music at a friend’s house, he was introduced to a guitarist playing jazz and Congolese rumba who encouraged him to embrace music from all over the world.
“All that music that I learned, I consider that part of my culture as a human being,” Tsumbu adds.
Currently based in Ireland, his music has been described as incorporating a range of genres, including classical, rock, jazz and African rhythms. For this upcoming performance, he is working with the other musicians to add arrangements in duets or identify areas that call for on-stage improvisation.
“Everybody in this group [has] a very different style, so it’s going to showcase how amazing and versatile the guitar is as an instrument,” he adds. “I just hope it brings joy to people and more joy of the guitar.”
Tsumbu sees the guitar as the centre of his life, but the creative process is ‘messy,’ as inspiration uncontrollably arises from various places – sounds, words, movies, shapes, and even colours. He advises aspiring musicians to solidify a clear musical vision and commit to practicing.
“It was actually a decision that I made ten, twenty years ago, where I was like every concert that I play has to bring another concert,” he says.
Taking the same approach to this Vancouver concert, Tsumbu plans to showcase songs from his latest album, Milimo (released 2024), as well as older tracks. He hopes that the night encourages the audience to forget that the music is played through a guitar, bringing them into a space of inspiration.
“I want people to be inspired about themselves, about going home and doing something positive,” he says. “Positive for themselves, for the families, for the community.”
For more information, see www.masseytheatre.com/event/ign-2025