His thirst for music that communes with “anything that’s ancient” is evident across the Flash of the Spirit schedule. The festival promises folk music from China (Zhou Family Band) and Ukraine (Kurbasy); guitar from Mali (Mamadou Kelly); 14th-century Sufi music (Falsa); ancestral music from Colombia (La Marvela) and Cuba (Septeto Santiaguero); and the classical music of Aleppo (Takht Al-Nagham), the city ravished by the Syrian civil war, to name just a few.

And the festival isn’t just about international acts: It also draws from Washington’s rich immigrant communities and features local acts that also celebrate the music of their homelands, like Ethio-jazz combo Feedel Band and cumbia group La Colombopercutiva. Supporting the local scene is a central focus for Thomson, who bemoans the lack of venues and support for those types of bands.