Major new community event offers musical journeys through Eastern Europe
Friday, 13 November 2009
Gypsy and Folk music of Eastern Europe and the Balkans will be explored in a major new mini-festival promoted by Lake District Summer Music in Ulverston’s Coronation Hall on 5 and 6 November. Titled “Folk on the Move” the project is the latest in the highly successful series of events under the Music from a Foreign Land banner bringing internationally-renowned musicians and music from around the world to Cumbria.
Previous projects have focused on Asia, Africa and South America. This year's performances bring the "true soul of Gypsy music" to the region and showcase two groups led by award-winning folk violinist Gundula Gruen. Move over BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing and BBC2's The Choir, LDSM offers members of the public amazing opportunities to hear and even to perform traditional music in one great project.
A Balkan Ceilidh Night on 5 November offers fun for everyone whether they are regular dancers or have two left feet. With authentic musical fireworks provided by Tatcho Drom, literally "true journey" in the Romany tongue, those attending will be taught traditional Balkan step dances. And whilst they have a breather or buy a drink from the bar, audiences will be entertained by demonstration dances by local schools.
Up to 150 children's and adults' voices from across South Lakeland and Furness then take the stage on Friday 6 November alongside the London Gypsy Orchestra. The performance is the culmination of a week's intensive work across the area. This will truly be an event not to be missed! Members of the public wanting to be a part of the South Lakes Folk Choir, a partnership with Sing Up! and Lanternhouse in Ulverston, which is rehearsing from 4.30-6.30pm from Monday 2 November to Friday 6 November, should contact LDSM on 08456 442505 or email choir@ldsm.org.uk
Further information from www.musicfromaforeignland.com and tickets can be bought through the Coronation Hall box office in Ulverston on 01229 587140. Accompanied Cumbrian children go free!
For more information, photographs or interviews please contact: Andrew Lucas, Senior Executive Officer, Lake District Summer Music on 07968 536368 or email andrew@ldsm.org.uk.
Notes for Editors:
Gundula Gruen is the conductor, principal violinist and singer of the London Gypsy Orchestra and the author of the book + audio CD Gypsy Music Collection, published in 2008. In the past she has performed as well as conducted workshops and other projects to great acclaim. Her live work has taken her throughout the UK and Europe to festivals, culture centres and theatres. TV productions include the documentary How Music Works on UK's TV Channel 4 and the music documentary Farklı Kültur - Ayne Muzik for TRT (Turkish state television). She has also been a guest and performer on Radio programs for BBC, Resonance FM and others.
Tatcho Drom is a London-based quintet who play acoustic music from the Balkans and beyond with the flair and passion of generations past. They bring an infectious energy, spirit and humour to their performances, enchanting their audiences onto the dance floor.
To experience the music of Tatcho Drom is to embark on a magical journey through the Eastern regions of Europe with a group of musicians who are dedicated to celebrating the essence of Gypsy and Balkan music with all its fire, charisma, and charm.
The group consists of Gundula Gruen (violin, vocals), Martin Oakley (accordion, vocals), Jeremy Halliwell (guitar), Brendan Rowley (double bass) and Tom Wagner (darbuka, percussion).
The London Gypsy Orchestra performs original arrangements of traditional music from Eastern Europe and the Balkans, bringing to life songs and dances that echo hundreds of years of journeys, adventures, culture and passion. Founded in 2005 by virtuoso violinist Gundula Gruen, who conducts as well as performs, it is the biggest ensemble of its kind in Western Europe.
The LGO draws together musicians from a multitude of backgrounds and nationalities, who share an enthusiasm for Eastern European gypsy and folk music, combining orchestral as well as folk instruments such as the cimbalom and the tambura. Their arrangements fuse beautiful melodies with complex rhythms from as far north as Russia to the southern European regions of the Balkans and the eastern lands of Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and beyond. With wild improvisations and sharp synchronisations, the orchestra inspires audiences with its energy and spontaneity.
The LGO has performed in many prestigious venues including the Union Chapel, the Tate Modern, Cecil Sharp House, St George's Bristol and the Carling Academy Oxford, as well as at events such as the Pulse Festival on the South Bank, London International Gypsy Film Festival, Dorchester Arts Festival and the Molten Diversity Arts Festival.
