Hello folks! Greetings from Fiddleville. Hope you have been having a good summer, staying cool, taking good care of yourself, playing up a storm, and reaching out locally and globally for all of us.
It’s been a momentous summer for me–moving into a new chapter in my life, with a new location: Olympia, WA, home to the beautiful southern tip of Puget Sound, a vibrant community of musicians and upstarts of all kinds, and (so far) much more affordable living spaces than Portland, OR. I’ve been officially in Olympia since early July, but teaching at Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Wallowa Fiddle Tune Camp,and the Swannanoa Gathering Fiddle Week have kept me pretty busy!
I’m about to take off for my last teaching gig of the summer: Camp de Souches à oreilles (Aug. 25-28). This wonderful, very affordable, family-friendly music camp in eastern Quebec is run by our friends from Tidal Wave. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in Québec culture and music! Late August is a wonderful time of year to be in Quebec–it’s the tail end of summer and the weather tends to be fair and pleasant (right now the forecast is for the low 70s, with cool evenings and clear skies). There are 75-minute classes in fiddle, accordion, piano, guitar, and dancing, with LOTS of jamming. The setting, a newly-renovated classical music festival site, is welcoming, and a number of Americans and Anglo-Canadians attending, with strong turn-outs from New England. The camp is filled for this year–check out the website for 2017!
After the camp, I’ll be headed to Joliette to spend a couple of weeks with Le Bruit court dans la Ville (André Marchand and Normand Miron), digging into some new repertory for a new show and album…we’ll make a very brief appearance at the Carrefour mondial de l’accordéon (September 1-5), an annual massive seismic outburst of accordions of every conceivable kind (and a few you would never even conjure up in your wildest dreams) from all over the planet, holding forth for three days of buttons and bellows, to say nothing of a lot of rhinestone and mother-of-toilet-seat blingosity.
In October, I’ll be back to eastern Quebec and the Magdelan Islands with Le Bruit for workshops and festivals, and then staffing at Janie Rothfield’s Jumpstart Camp in the Philadelphia area (October 21-23rd). Janie’s camp is a great way to get a LOT of learning and jamming in an intimate setting, with gourmet meals and a small coterie of equally passionate folks from all over. There will be classes in Cajun and Old-Time music as well, with Janie and Michelle Kaminsky.
In November, Dan Compton and I will be doing a quick tour up to Vancouver, BC, with stops in Mount Vernon and Seattle. Stay tuned for details.
And in December, I’ll be playing the Boston Revels, which this year celebrates Acadian and Cajun traditions. Couldn’t be in better company (Keith Murphy, David Greely, and Josée Vachon, with the children and adult choruses and some amazing brass players to boot!).
The Portland Québécois and Cajun jams (monthly on first Tuesday evenings and third Sunday afternoons respectively) continue to celebrate the joys of music and community in Stumptown, and there is a lively, third-Thursday Québécois jam here in Olympia as well.
I have a lot to learn about my new community–will keep you posted on what’s shaking here as I learn the ropes.
Meanwhile, if you live in Olympia, Seattle, or Portland, OR (or points in between) and would like to set up a lesson or workshop, let me know. I’ll be setting up a teaching schedule for the fall and winter and would love to sign you on board! And if you live further afield, just get in touch. I teach by Skype!
Cheers and all the best,
Lisa