SMaD celebrates 40 Years at annual Holiday Potluck and Dance!
Saturday, December 7th we will mark the 40th Anniversary of Shepherdstown Music and Dance with our annual holiday potluck and dance. Susan Taylor will call to Critton Hollow String Band who have been a favorite band in Shepherdstown since our early days!.
Potluck Dinner at 6pm (bring a dish and memories to share)
Dance starts at 8pm
If you have been to our dance in the past, and want to share your memories, see old friends and meet new ones, we encourage you to come to the potluck. Bring a dish, and your memories! Even if you no longer enjoy a whirl on the dance floor, all are welcome to join us as we celebrate “40 years of building community through traditional music and dance! ”
Callers and musicians who have been a part of our rich history are encouraged to come, and maybe call a dance or play one tune with our beloved Critts! Join in the fun!
ITALIAN HOLIDAY CONCERT WITH ROSA TATUATA SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 4PM SHEPHERDSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Love of Sicilian and Southern Italian roots music drives Rosa Tatuata to passionately interpret the traditions and melodies of their ancestors.
For this concert, Michela Musolino and the band bring you seasonal favorites of Sicily. “These aren’t the familiar Christmas songs one would expect to hear, simply being sung in Italian. These ancient carols are exclusively Sicilian, and pre-date many common traditions. Yet somehow they convey the universal spirit of the season without the overt references to fireplaces, reindeers, wreaths, and snow!”, Musolino quipped.
She continued, “Our name, Rosa Tatuata, comes from Tennessee Williams’ beloved play about the happy, raucous collision of immigrant and American cultures in the 1950’s. In performance, we relate that incredible, exciting, commingling to the audience through song and dance. We think our band’s name is quite apropos!”
Research into traditional instruments fuels their compelling presentation. Expect to hear the tammburro (Sicilian frame drum), marranzanu (jaw harp), brogna ( conch shell), friscalettu (reed flute) and zampogna (Italian bagpipes)— rare sounds indeed! The enchanting mix of ballads and dance tunes will take your imagination to sunbathed Southern Italy and the clear, crystal-blue waters surrounding Sicily.
Advance tickets are $20 adults, $18 seniors and $15 members and $10 students. At the door: $25 adults, $22 seniors, $20 members and $10 children/students.
Advance tickets will be available online from Brown Papaer Tickets
FIDDLE SUMMIT SHOWCASE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 8PM
SHEPHERDSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
This annual concert presents some of the finest fiddlers from a variety of traditions, including French Canadian, English, Scottish, Irish, New England, and Appalachian into a showcase concert with some extraordinary accompaniment. Sean Heely is a national Scottish Fiddle champions whose fiery renditions of Scottish and Irish fiddle music are in great demand, Elke Baker, too is also renowned for her Scottish chops, as well as being a popular dance musician for English, Scottish and contra dances. French Canadian fiddler, Lisa Ornstein is the dynamic fiddler who drives the music of Le Bruit Court dans le Ville. David Kaynor has been a mainstay of the New England contra dance fiddling for over 40 years, and is also know for his lovely playing of Scandinavian fiddle. Rebecca Weiss is a fantastic young fiddler whose dynamic playing drives the band Tea and Honey. They will all be joined by one of the finest dance pianists, in the country Dave Wiesler, who drives all sorts of dance ensembles with his accompaniment. Old-time fiddler, Erynn Marshall has been steeped in the traditional music of West Virginia, studying with old master Melvin Wine, and will be joined by her husband Carl Jones on guitar and banjo and last, but not least, master hammered dulcimer player and fiddler, Ken Kolodner will be with us again to round out the show. Co-sponsored with Upper Potomac Fiddle Retreat. Jam session to follow.Visit the web page to get more information to sign up for classes. Early bird discount before Dec. 1!
Advance tickets are $20 adults, $18 seniors and $15 members and $10 students. At the door: $25 adults, $22 seniors, $20 members and $10 children/students.
Tickets available from Brown Paper Tickets here.
January Contra Dance
Saturday, January 4, 8pm
Come join us for our first Dance of the year at the Shepherdstown War Memorial Building as Janine Smith calls an amazing round of contras and squares to the Fiddle Retreat Open Band! Always a great time as our band swells to fill the front of the hall with energy and a unique sound as this years students and teachers provide the music for the dance. Beginners workshop at 7:30, the dance starts at 8pm. No experience necessary, no partner needed. Potluck snacks at the break. Wear soft-soled shoes to protect our nice floor! Admission $12 adults, $8 members, $5 students and included in Fiddle Retreat tuition.
Squeeze the Bag!
Saturday, January 18, 8pm
Shepherd University, Reynolds Hall
The bellows-blown bagpipe is a quieter, more parlor-oriented cousin to the great highland bagpipes most folks are familiar with. You’ll see pipes that are far more likely to be played with flutes, guitars, mandolins, bouzoukis, drums and other instruments in a session-like atmosphere for concerts or dances in smaller, more intimate settings. Four kinds of bagpipes will be featured: the Scottish smallpipe, the quieter cousin of the great highland pipes, the Irish uilleann (or Union) pipes, Northumbrian smallpipes and the Border pipes which are played in the border region between Scotland and England.
The concert is divided into three sections… We’ll open with the tiny Northumbrian pipes of England with Dick Hensold , then we’ll move to Irish section of the program with an outstanding uilleann piper and step dancer, Brian Bigley whose lovely playing and lively dancing have won him a national reputation. John Skelton is one of the foremost authorities on the Irish flute and has toured with the House Band and the Windbags, his great playing and his wonderful sense of humor make him one of our most popular performers. The Scottish section of the concert will feature piper, Rosalind Buda, a professional bassonist, and also renowned performer on highland, border and smallpipes, as well as Iain MacHarg, a versatile piper who grew up steeped in piping from French, Scottish and Irish traditions who runs the Vermont Institute for the Celtic Arts. The will be joined by Scottish fiddle champion Sean Heely along with Scottish piper, Tracy Jenkins. It will all be tied together by our host piper, Bob Mitchell and more, in a set of music from the highlands and border regions of Scotland and Cape Breton on both Scottish smallpipes and Border pipes.
The concert will take place at Shepherd University’s Reynolds Hall.
Co-sponsored with the Upper Potomac Pipers Weekend. Classes available in many kinds of bellows blown bagpipes, flute, whistle and mixed-instruments. More information is on the web page.
Advance tickets are $20 adults, $18 seniors and $15 members and $10 students. At the door: $25 adults, $22 seniors, $20 members and $10 children/students.
Tickets from Brown Paper Tickets available here.
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END OF JANUARY POST
Shepherdstown Music and Dance 