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Event
FÀRSAN- Gaelic Traditions in a New World
FÀRSAN
Powered by four of the brightest voices in a new generation of traditional musicians, Fàrsan unites song, dance and instrumental music from the Gaelic traditions of Scotland and North America. Gaelic has long been a culture on the move. With strongholds in Scotland and Cape Breton, the language and music have travelled to the farthest corners of the New World, finding new homes and nurturing communities in the unlikeliest of places. Fàrsan's brand-new self-titled debut release is a product of this legacy of movement and migration. Each member of the band represents an engaging new take on their cultural traditions. Màiri Britton's Gaelic song and stepdance repertoires have a foundation in her native Scotland, but are heavily influenced by her current work teaching and researching song and dance in Nova Scotia. Katie McNallys fiddling and Neil Pearlman's piano and stepdance continue the strong connection between New England and Maritime Canada, both having grown up in the Scottish and Cape Breton music community that surrounds Boston. Elias Alexander brings an American flair to the Scottish border pipes, merging a love of the tradition with a wealth of new ideas.
Màiri Britton's love of the Gaelic language was sparked at the age of five, and it has shaped a journey from her hometown of Edinburgh to the Hebrides, Ireland, and now to Nova Scotia where she teaches Gaelic at St. Francis Xavier University. A talented singer, step dancer and harpist, Màiri is in demand as a tutor for camps and workshops in Scotland, Canada and the US.
In addition to Fàrsan, Màiri is a member of Scottish four-piece Gaelic trad group, Huradal, and has performed at Blas Festival, Edinburgh Trad Fest and KitchenFest!, Cape Breton. She has shared the stage with renowned traditional musicians such as Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, Mary Jane Lamond, Moira Smiley, Charlie McKerron (Capercaillie), Adam Sutherland (Peatbog Faeries) and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh & Caitlín Nic Gabhann.
Not only has she provided us with the majority of our repertoire from her vast knowledge of Gaelic song, this lady has powered the band on the road and in the studio with more than one loaf of her award-winning banana bread!
Elias Alexander is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and actor, with a career that places him at the forefront of creativity within contemporary Celtic music in the US. He released his debut album with the Bywater Band in 2016, described as fiercely melodic and compelling sound (Rambles). He also fronts nine-piece Afro-Celtic funk band, Soulsha, and performs with cutting-edge trio MAC. He tours extensively throughout the US, has appeared at major festivals such as Celtic Connections, Outside the Box Boston, Fresh Grass and Tartan Day NYC, and has performed with greats of the Celtic world such as Alasdair Fraser, Carlos Nuñez, and Gillebride MacMillan.
Recent covergirl for Fiddler Magazine, Katie McNally has performed and taught fiddle courses in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Scotland, England, and France. A member of the cross genre fiddle super-group Childsplay since 2009, she appears on their CD and concert video release, As the Crow Flies, produced by legendary Irish fiddler, Liz Carroll. McNally performs regularly as a soloist and has collaborated in the past with guitarist Eric McDonald and all-woman trad group, Long Time Courting. In the fall of 2012, she accompanied famed Galician bagpiper Carlos Núñez on his first North American tour to promote the release of his Sony Masterworks double album, Discover.
A student of acclaimed fiddler Hanneke Cassel, Katie has played at the Newport Folk Festival, the Barns at Wolf Trap, The Freight and Salvage, The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Benaroya Hall, as well as various folk venues throughout North America. In addition to her busy touring schedule, she is a devoted educator whose teaching style was molded by years of attendance at fiddle camps where learning music is about joy and community and fun! This is her approach whether working with her private students, in workshops, at fiddle camps, in musical outreach programs or at Bostons Symphony Hall.
Multi-instrumentalist, stepdancer and host of podcast TradCafe, Neil Pearlman is a vital and distinctive voice in contemporary traditional music. Described as a tremendous pianist on BBC Radio Scotland and a force to be reckoned with by WGBHs Brian ODonovan, Neil is recognized in many Celtic music circles for his unique approach to the piano. Rooted in traditional Cape Breton piano styles, he adds jazz harmony and the syncopations of funk, Cuban, and Brazilian dance music to create a unique and infectious sound. It was this innovative style that led legendary Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland to say watching Neils hands on the piano was like watching two spiders on crack!
"...impressive precision and a great sense of fun." - Mary Jane Lamond
"The best CD I've heard in a long time." - Patsy Seddon (The Poozies)
"...impressive precision and a great sense of fun." - Mary Jane Lamond
"The best CD I've heard in a long time." - Patsy Seddon (The Poozies)
www.farsanband.com
$14 in advance and $18 at the door (plus $2 venue fee)
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LocationThe Dance Hall (View)
7 Walker St
Kittery, ME 03904
United States
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| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
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