The Space Between the Notes – XXXVI

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“Folks out in the country couldn't afford to pay for anybody else to make music. They had to make their own. So the peasantry had their music, and it was about a hundred years ago given the name "Folk music.” — Pete Seeger

Folk music is part of the vivid tapestry that weaves people and cultures together. Whether voices raised in song, or instruments in resonance, folk music is reflective of communities with an immediacy that few other mediums can match. Folk music provides a channel for myriad forms of human expression – story-telling set to music, rhythms that mirror language, modes melted into choruses, pitches symbiotic of tonal origin, a form of communication to celebrate, invoke, or accompany aspects from the cycle of life. For many of us, pausing to listen even for a moment transports us to a different place, be it emotionally or figuratively. Without this type of oral tradition, particularly in areas of low literacy, history is forgotten, places are lost, people are unremembered.

The 14th edition of GAIA, called "Folk Songs - Of Love and Other Drunkenness", sets out to carefully consider the differences between cultural preservation and evolution, as well as misconceptions around cultural appropriation. Studying the ways in which folk and traditional music can have many meanings to so many people traces a history of nations which may, in turn, lead to better understanding between one another.

GAIA Music Festival 2023 - Folk Songs

Tickets go on sale today!

Full programme and venue details here.

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Encore During Dutch Tour

Photo: Maximilian Lederer

A few days ahead of beginning a recent series of concerts in the Netherlands with pianist Caspar Vos, I stumbled upon this ragtime by William Bolcom that I’m going to adopt to my family of encore pieces. I really love it, it’s got all that swing, that jazz, that laid-back groove of a Sunday morning. Listen here for a live recording from an audience member’s smart phone during a matinee performance in the premiere theater (Theater aan het Vrijthof) of Maastricht.

> Listen to the live recording

Workshop – All About Vibrato on Tonebase

For those who missed this live, watch this stream here for a limited time only.

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Upcoming concerts in March

Please note that many upcoming concerts are either already sold out or have very limited capacity seating, so please reserve online where that option is available, or come early for concerts that have free entry!

Performances

Upcoming concerts in March

Gwendolyn’s Bridge Club

Free entry, suggested price per performance CHF 20.-

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