Fiddling with Traditions

Description

FIDDLING WITH TRADITIONS
GRETHCEN KOEHLER & DANIEL KELLY

The North Country Fiddlers present Fiddling with Traditions, a musical suite inspired by traditional artists, featuring fiddler/composer Gretchen Koehler & pianist Daniel Kelly. The performance will take place at the Potsdam Public Library on Friday, October 13 from 7:30-9:30pm. The event is free to attend with a suggested donation of $10 to benefit the Potsdam Public Library.

In 2022, with the support of a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, fiddler Gretchen Koehler immersed herself in "North Country" folk arts. She interviewed a variety of artists to learn about their traditions, study their hands, soak up the aesthetic of being in their creative environment and then adapted these ideas to her family's music tradition. From these sessions came a brilliant new fiddle suite, "Fiddling With Traditions."

Fiddling With Traditions is a fun, imaginative, muti-media concert that features fiddler/composer Gretchen Koehler & pianist Daniel Kelly sharing fiddle tunes that evoke everything from sweeping paint strokes, to intricate stitching, to the fiery forging of Northern NY's folk traditions. From heart pumping musical arrangements to peaceful panoramas, their expressive soundscapes capture the spirit of rug braiding, blacksmithing, quilting, silversmithing, paper making, knitting, painting and woodworking. Audiences of all ages will enjoy this captivating musical adventure enhanced by a backdrop of gorgeous film and photography.

In addition to a LIVE performance, Gretchen Koehler produced an 8 part series of music videos. Through the evocative music of the fiddle & piano, viewers are introduced to talented artists who keep New York State folk traditions alive. The videos were widely spread on social media and caught the attention of WPBS-TV. “Fiddling With Traditions” is being featured on “Inside the Stories” throughout their 2023 season. 

Gretchen Koehler is a champion fiddler with an atlas of musical styles at her fingertips. Her left hand has an Irish brogue, her bow arm provides a distinct American Old Time drive while her feet hammer out accompaniment on the floorboards in typical Quebecois style. An early standout in the American and Canadian fiddle contest circuit, TIME Magazine identified Koehler as “astonishingly good.” She was inducted into the North American Fiddlers’ Hall of Fame (NY State rep.), and most recently Fiddler Magazine labeled her one of the futures of Celtic fiddle.

Daniel Kelly is an award-winning pianist, composer and tireless musical explorer who continually seeks out new avenues for his creativity. Blending jazz, classical and folk music into a signature sound, Kelly is an artist who has been called “stunningly original” with “a visionary imagination." He has performed with jazz legends Michael Brecker, hip-hop star Lauryn Hill, modern classical giants the Bang on a Can All-Stars and toured throughout Southeast Asia and India as a part of the US State department-sponsored Jazz Ambassador program. His music has been declared “powerfully moving” by Time Out New York.