Bengal's Corner

The sounds of Bluegrass, Dixieland, old time mountain picking, and the strains of ethnic dance tunes from all over the world will flow from Boarding House Park in Lowell, Massachusetts, on Saturday, September 8, 2007, during the Banjo and Fiddle Contests. The public is invited to a full day of music, food and family fun. The event is free, but donations will be accepted. Workshops on Mountain Dulcimer, Oldtime Fiddle, Oldtime Banjo, Twin and Bluegrass Fiddle, and Bluegrass Banjo begin at 10:00 a.m.

The contests begin at noon and continue throughout the afternoon. Preregistration for contestants is suggested. A printable Contestant Registration Form is available.

Banjo and fiddle players of all ages, experts and beginners alike, compete for cash prizes and trophies in this annual competition. Participants have ranged in age from four years to seventy-five, many traveling from as far away as North Carolina, and Quebec. Musicians interested in participating should preregister by contacting the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center:
246 Market Street, Lowell
(978) 970-5000

Contest entry is free. For more information, please call (978) 970-5200.

Boarding House Park is located at 40 French Street, Lowell. The rain location is Lowell High School Auditorium across from the Boarding House Park. Both locations are wheelchair accessible.

The Banjo & Fiddle Contests are sponsored by Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell Festival Foundation, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Hello, everyone!

My dear friend Benoit Bourque, that will be from tomorrow till Monday (27th) in Ontario for The Woods Music And Dance Camp, was reminding me the other day about the Carrefour mondial de l'accordéon.

In Brazil (where I'm originally from), we have many musical styles that explore the sonority of the accordion... In the Northeast for example, the accordion, along with the triangle and the zabumba, is the main instrument used in forró, a traditional style usually played by trios. The Brazilian accordion (named sanfona) is related to the English concertina. It arrived in Brazil - where the eight bass bellows was popular in the Northeast - with Italian and German immigrants.

Now, during the Carrefour mondial de l'accordéon, that will be held in Montmagny (QC) from August 30th to September 3rd, many other styles such as Quebecois Traditional Music, Jazz, Manouche, etc, will be presented showing the versatility of this instrument and the talents of many artists from around the world.

It will be five intense days of festivities: "The Carrefour mondial de l'accordéon is a beautiful harmony of cultures where different styles, genres and repertoires unite to form a magical song for a public of all ages. Montmagny (Québec) has been a proud host of this event since its creation in 1989."

I'll see you there!

Bengal.

Promotion:
Tel Aviv University
Dan David Prize

Date/Place:
2008 - Tel Aviv, Israel.

Requirements:
The Dan David Prize is awarded to individuals and institutions with proven, exceptional excellence and contribution to humanity in the sciences, ARTS, humanities, public service and business without discrimination of any kind.

Nominations deadline: November 30th, 2007.

Information:
For information on the Dan David Prize and nomination submission, please consult our website: www.dandavidprize.org

Contatact information:
Ms. Smadar Fisher, Director
Prof. Isaac P. Witz, Scientific Adviser
Dan David Prize
Eitan Berglas Bldg/119, Tel Aviv University
Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
ddprize@post.tau.ac.il
Tel: +972-3-6406614/5, Fax: +972-3-6406613

"I got a way of walking the fences.
I'm keeping the keys of my soul in the pockets of my pain.
But as time goes on, I tend to be too strong,
And my strength can kill my weaknesses that need to be seen.
You can see a vision, if you give your heart,
You will find out who you really are.

Still breathing, I'm still here breathing.
Has love forgotten how to say my name?
Still waiting, I'm still here waiting.
How can I be standing in so much rain?

Once in a lifetime, there's a chance at a rainbow
Shining over your heart.
And from every outcome, there's a light in the distance.
It comes to find the things that hide love in the dark.
I have had a vision, and I think I know the future.
I have dreamed you in my mind.
If I give my heart and keep it as an open lesson,
Will I find out who you really are?

Still breathing, I'm still here breathing.
Has love forgotten how to say my name?
Still waiting, I'm still here waiting.
But somehow you found me in all this rain...

And now I know what it is I'm looking for.
I know heroes on white horses don't look the same anymore.
I just hope that I can take the hand you've shown.
And if your love finally finds me, still breathing, take me home.
Oh, take me home.
Your love will take me home.
I'm still breathing.
Oh, still breathing."

This song was composed for the James F. Robinson movie "Still Breathing" (Brendan Fraser / Joanna Going), and I simply love it!

Bengal.

Hello, everybody!

Do you like Irish and Celtic music? So, here is a great source! One of my favorite podcasts... Enjoy it!

Bengal.

"Twice-monthly Celtic and Irish music by the best independent Celtic music groups. Irish drinking songs, Scottish folk songs, bagpipes, music from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Wales, Nova Scotia, Galicia, Australia and the United States. Hosted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards."

Hello, everyone!

If you are in New Zealand by the end of September, enjoy this delicious event with all things French in their first French settlement!

For more information, follow this link.

Bengal.

Les 24, 25 et 26 août, à Rivière-au-Renard (Grand Gaspé)

Le Festival La Grand gigue simple à Baptiste vous invite à une fin de semaine mémorable! De la gigue (entre autre avec Pierre Chartrand et Dominic Desrochers), de la musique (avec Yves Plourde, Noël DesPrés, Denis Boulay, Marc Aurèle Plourde), du conte (avec Gilles Tremblay). Il y aura des veillées de danse, des ateliers, une parade musicale et dansée dans les rues de Rivière-au-Renard, etc... La troupe de Tracy Arsenault de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard sera également de la partie!
Télécharger le dépliant du Festival (en pdf)

Hello, everyone!

Here is another interesting festival coming up! Thanks, Benoit!

Bengal.

"Greetings, are you familiar with the Festival Acadien de la Nouvelle-Acadie? - Benoit"

NEWSLETTER - by Fiddling demystified

FIDDLING DEMYSTIFIED CAMP: We have seven places left for fiddlers, string players, teachers at our August 6-10 day camp at the Guiding Star Grange, Greenfield MA. Fiddle teachers Donna Hébert and George Wilson swap classes so everyone works with both teachers every day. Sample schedule.

CHANTERELLE at PHILLY FOLK FESTIVAL: Franco-American group Chanterelle is performing at the Philadelphia Folk Festival August 17-19. More.

GREAT GROOVE BAND at PHILLY FOLK: Great Groove Band sign-ups are still open for the Philadelphia Folk Festival, August 17-19 (link to buy festival tickets, below for sign-up information).

It's a great way to spend a family weekend, and if you travel with young musicians ages 6-18, why not register them to play with us? We coach the young players in three sessions over the weekend, ending with a main stage performance late Sunday afternoon. Open to all string players, mandolin, banjo, guitar, piano, percussion, flute, clarinet and sax players as well as singers. More.

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Bonjour -

Just a note of information on an upcoming festival (FREE) here in East Lansing, Michigan for those folks anywhere in the area. The Great Lakes Folk Festival will have it's 6th year Aug. 10-12.

It's a wonderful event (family friendly, free parking, food, etc.) that offers a wide variety of music and dance. This year, of particular interest to this group might be Asani (native Cree/metis female vocal group from Alberta, Canada), Dominique Dupuis (Acadian fiddler from New Brunswick) and Michele Choiniere (Franco-American chanteuse from St. Albans, Vermont). With Michele will also be Rachel Aucoin and Sabin Jacques. A treat for all!

The festival runs Friday night at 6:30 through Sunday at 6:30 and many of these
artists will play 2-4 times during that period, so it is worth the drive. To see the website and hear sound slips of the performers, click this link.

Dawn

Thanks, Dawn, for the news.
Bengal.

Lucie Therrien will perform at the Summer Festival at the West End Theater in Portsmouth, NH on August 19th at 7:00pm.

For tickets and additional informational, please call (603) 300-2900 or e-mail:
rlnuge@aol.com or visit their website.

Godlight Theatre Company is casting the New York Premiere of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse- Five Or: The Children's Crusade adapted by Eric Simonson. Joe Tantalo, dir. Rehearsals start October 22. Performances run January 11-February 17, 2008 at 59E59 Theaters.

Seeking:
Man: early 60s, narrator; Roland Weary: 20s, heavyset, a weak man with dreams of grandeur; Kilgore Trout: late 60s, an unsuccessful science-fiction writer
Valencia Merble: 30s, Billy Pilgrim's heavyset wife
Montana Wildhack: early 20s, a pornographic actress captured by aliens
Eliot Rosewater: 50s war veteran
Howard Campbell: 30s, American who has become a Nazi
Bertram Rumfoord: late 60s, Harvard history professor
Males and Females: 18+, any ethnicity, to play various characters.

Auditions will be held by appt. only in September.
To schedule an audition appt., send pix & resumes by Aug. 10 to 69 Garfield Place 3R, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Attn: SH5.

Non-Union, possible pay.

For more information, www.godlighttheatrecompany.org.