Arts without Boundaries » Supporting Artists

Supporting Artist, Philip Aaberg

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:41:53 +0000

Philip Aaberg
Composer Philip Aaberg writes music that connects a global audience to the sweeping landscape of the West. Although classically trained, Philip celebrates many traditions in his singular sound. He weaves strains of blues and bluegrass as well as rock and new music throughout his compositions. Besides performing with the Boston Pops and in concert halls around the world, Philip has appeared with Peter Gabriel, Elvin Bishop, and on numerous film soundtracks. He has cut eight solo albums including Live From Montana, which received a 2002 Grammy nomination. Philip is the recipient of two Emmy nominations, most recently for the original score to Class C: The Only Game in Town. His monthly radio program Of the West: Creativity & Sense of Place can be heard across Montana. www.ofthewest.net He and Darol Anger most recently collaborated on the 2008 recording ‘Cross Time, released on Philip’s record label Sweetgrass Music. www.sweetgrassmusic.com

Supporting Artist, Darol Anger

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:48:40 +0000

Darol Anger
Exceptional among modern fiddlers for his versatility and depth, Darol Anger has helped drive the evolution of the contemporary string band through his involvement with numerous pathbreaking ensembles such as his Republic Of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, Montreux, the Duo and other ensembles. Today Darol can be heard on NPR’s “Car Talk” theme every week, along with Earl Scruggs, David Grisman and Tony Rice. He has recorded and produced scores of important recordings since 1977, is a MacDowell and UCross Fellow, and has received numerous composers’ residencies and grants. He is a featured soloist on dozens of recordings and motion picture soundtracks. www.darolanger.com

Supporting Artist, Tracy Silverman

admin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:18:20 +0000

“Tracy Silverman played as if he believed in every note and there was a whooping standing ovation.” –Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News

Lauded by the BBC as “the greatest living exponent of the electric violin”, Juilliard graduate Tracy Silverman has redefined the instrument with his instantly recognizable trademark sound. His groundbreaking work with the 6-string electric violin has forever transformed violin playing, much as Hendrix redefined the electric guitar.

Silverman has recorded with a virtual who’s who of the new music, jazz and rock world. As first violinist with the innovative Turtle Island String Quartet, Silverman toured internationally and established a long-standing relationship with Windham Hill Records. His 1999 self-produced release, Trip to the Sun has become a cult favorite which Billboard Magazine heralded as “the most adventurous Windham Hill album ever.” He has produced several albums for the label and appears on dozens of Windham Hill Collections. Silverman’s “Electric Violin Concerto” has been described by the Wichita Eagle as “the ideal piece for today’s symphony”, and has been choreographed in it’s entirety by Henrique Rodovalho in a fully mounted production with the Bale Teatro Guaira in Brazil.

Silverman has recorded and performed with John Adams, Terry Riley, Zakir Hussain, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Jim Brickman, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Guster, Big and Rich, Rachel Barton Pine, Tuck and Patty, Linda Ronstadt, Eliot Fisk, Billy Taylor, Bob Geldof, and as a soloist with major orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony conducted by Neemi Jarvi, the LA Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen, with conductors Marin Alsop, Kent Negano and many others.

An international touring artist, Tracy has performed at major concert venues from Sao Paulo to Vienna, from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl. In 1999 he was awarded Artist in Residence status by the city of Hamburg, Germany and is a frequent concert attraction in Brazil. The Rhein Zeitung wrote “technically brilliant to the fingertips, but overthrowing all the usual preconceived ideas”. The London Times raved, “His deep engagement with the music coursed through his strong, supple virtuosity.”

Silverman produced and performs on Jim Brickman’s hit CD’s “Simple Things”, “Lovesongs and Lullabies”, “Escape” and “Homecoming” and on all 3 of Jim’s popular TV Specials. His many appearances on national radio and television include NPR’s “Performance Today”, MPR’s “St. Paul Sunday”, “A Prarie Home Companion” and was featured as a violinist and record producer on “CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood”. He has taught at Macalester College in St. Paul, and at the MacPhail Center for the Arts in Minneapolis and regularly gives workshops all over the world, including the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Jazz in July at Amherst, Oberlin Conservatory and many others. Silverman has long been a favorite instructor at Mark O’Connor’s annual fiddle camp. He currently holds a teaching position at Belmont University in his home of Nashville, TN, where he teaches exclusively jazz and rock violin.

Tracy is currently touring internationally with his solo concerts, with his rock band, “Eclectica”, as a member of the Terry Riley Trio, The Gyan Riley Trio featuring Zakir Hussain, The Great Big Piano Trio with Philip Aaberg and Eugene Friesen and with the Quarteto Sao Paulo in Brazil.

www.TracySilverman.com

Supporting Artist, Clyde Aspevig

admin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:45:46 +0000

Clyde Aspevig’s personal and artistic horizons have unfolded expansively since his childhood on a Montana farm near the Canadian border. That period of geographical and cultural isolation was in retrospect a blessing for the artist he recalls. “Because I grew up in a vacuum in Montana, I wasn’t taught the cliches.”

He sees such naivete as allowing him to be more open to everything around him, which is especially evident in his latest works. His peripatetic field easel now ranges across the wild mountains and prairies of Montana, Death Valley, Adirondacks, rocky North Atlantic coast, Scandinavian fjords and the well-tended hillside estates of Tuscany.

Growing up, he witnessed the alternatingly painful and joyful cycles of agricultural life. He was unusually fortunate to be encouraged by his family in the pursuits of art and appreciation of music. Clyde learned early on to work hard and persevere against obstacles natural and manmade. Rather than scoffing at or demeaning Clyde’s interests, Clyde’s father, the practical but open-minded farmer, bought his twelve-year-old son’s first painting.

He considers his paintings as old friends and visual souvenirs of places experienced in his life. The viewer, too, shares in Clyde’s magical evocations of the landscapes that touched him.

www.ClydeAspevig.com

Supporting Artist, Kinobe

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 22:59:29 +0000

Ugandan music is a vibrant synthesis of song, dance, drumming, poetry, and fable. At times lively and ecstatic, at others mellow and soulful – Kinobe brings this rich culture to life with the beautiful music and enchanting folk tales of his homeland. As with all good stories there are lessons to be learned, and Kinobe illustrates these messages with heart and humor. He grew up within earshot of the king’s palace, where drumming and singing filled the days and often the nights. This is the very life of his homeland, of his childhood, of his family, and he shares it with groups of all ages in this engaging show featuring the many beautiful instruments of traditional African music.