Category: concert

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concert Pennsic video

Pennsic 45 video: A Lusty Young Smith

Here’s video for a piece I’ve never recorded before: A Lusty Young Smith, a 17th-century English song with rather bawdy content (this is the popular tune and lyrics revised by Ed McCurdy in the 1950’s, making the song a bit bouncier and the innuendo a little less on the nose).

I have performed this piece a few times before in the SCA: Most recently at the Roses Bardic competition, and before that (way before that, at Pennsics 31 and 33), it was the first piece I ever performed in the SCA, at Duchess Isabella’s Ladies’ Night. (The less said about that the better–there’s a reason I only consider myself an SCA bard for the last four years or so–but you’ll get a flavor for it from my opening remarks.)

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concert Pennsic video

First Pennsic 45 video up: “Hidden Gold”

I’ve got my first video up from this year’s Pennsic concert. This is the first time we’ve captured “Hidden Gold” on video. The picture isn’t as sharp as I’d like for some reason. Don’t know if it was the camera focus, or if restoring the video file (which had been damaged) was the cause. It required some effort at any rate, and I was worried about whether we’d be able to recover it at all. I’m relieved that the sound is intact. I’ll be adding the closed captions shortly. Enjoy!

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concert Pennsic

Concert Update: Last Minute Guest!

So we’re making a last-minute change to the concert set list. I’m adding a new musical guest–my son, Spencer. I’ve long known that he has musical talent, and to my delight he is embracing that this war. We will be performing a contrafact of mine as a duet near the start of the concert. (It was his idea to be in the concert; I picked the song.) Not to be missed.

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concert Pennsic

Update to Concert Guest List

A quick update on the guest list for my concert next Tuesday at 8. I’ve realized that in my zeal to collaborate with some of the SCA’s wonderful performers, I went a little overboard, to the point that it will be a tall order both to rehearse with everyone, and to manage the flow of a one-hour concert with this many introductions to make. 

Knowing that these performers are also busy folks, many of them with their own concerts coming up (see below), I checked in to see if I could turn the scope back down below 11. Emer nic Aidan has agreed to make space and focus on her other commitments. You can still enjoy Emer on stage this Friday at 9 pm, during her “Sea and Fire” concert with Lorelei Skye. 

And while we’re discussing it, let me gratefully plug Efenwealt Wystle, whose concert is Sunday at 8 pm, and Ken and Lisa Theriot, who will be performing immediately after my set Tuesday Night at 9 pm. 

I’ll let you know if there are any other changes. 

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bardic concert Pennsic Uncategorized

Pennsic Performances You Should Know About

Pennsic 45 begins this weekend. Before I head out, I wanted to mention that there are some wonderful friends of mine being showcased this year in the Performing Arts tent who don’t (or haven’t) regularly performed there. You should definitely check these folks out, if you’re wondering how to be profoundly entertained at War:

  • Monday August 8, 8-9 pm: Mar Yaakov HaMizrachi, Tales from “The Book of Delight”
    Tah Sh’ma! Come and hear! Storyteller Mar Yaakov HaMizrachi in performance of his reconstruction of the period work “The Book of Delight” by Yosef ben Meir Ibn Zabara. Zabara wrote this classic work of folk tales in about the year 1200 in Toledo, Spain. Hear how a clever fox seeks to trick a foolish leopard to his doom! Only the leopard’s wise wife stands between our Well Meaning but Foolish Hero and his certain death! In this contest of wit between a loving wife and a cunning foe, whose cleverness shall prevail?
    I wanted to mention this performance first because it’s a late addition to the schedule, and thus may not end up listed in the printed book.

    Continue reading “Pennsic Performances You Should Know About”

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concert Pennsic

Guest Performers Line Up

With a month to go until Pennsic, I’m excited to announce that we’ve lined up an awesome roster of guest performers for this year’s concert. The planned guests include: Sir Kenneth Macquarrie and Mistress Adelaide de Beaumont (aka Ken and Lisa Theriot), Master Efenwealt Wystle, THL Emer nic Aidan, Maistre Lucien de Pontivy, and Duchess Caoilfhionn inghean Fhaoláin.

Yes. It’s going to be kind of a crowded set. (So worth it.) Looking forward to seeing you there! Once again, the concert will be from 8-9 pm Tuesday August 9 (War Week) in the Performing Arts tent.

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concert Pennsic

Pennsic Concert-New Night and Time!

This year’s Pennsic concert is now on the schedule, at a new night at time (Facebook event here). This year, I’m opening for Ken and Lisa Theriot (Sir Kenneth MacQuarrie and Mistress Adelaide de Beaumont), from 8 to 9 pm on Tuesday of War Week (August 9). I have been talking with a number of performers about joining me onstage for some collaborative fun. If you’re around that evening, I hope to see you there!

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bardic concert Pennsic period studies teaching

Updates for April

Last month was a whirl of activity (and posts), so I thought I’d quiet things down for a while. There are some things worth updating you about:

  • I am developing a couple of new classes to teach this summer. The first one is based on my research into the way men wrote about women in the Elizabethan period. I will be teaching it at the Wars of the Roses and Pennsic.
  • The second is called “The New Bard’s Road Map”, and I’ll be teaching it at Pennsic.
  • I am learning four new Elizabethan lute pieces, and hope to have one of them ready by Roses, and most of the others by Pennsic.
  • I have signed up for an hour-long concert at Pennsic, which will hopefully be at a new night and time. I am in touch with a few cool friends I hope to have performing with me, because it’s so much more fun that way. More details as we get closer.
  • Master Arden was kind enough to provide me with pretty much all the sheet music he wrote for Hidden Gold in its recorded and live-performed incarnations, and I have added these instrumental arrangements to my bardic work page as well as the individual song pages. (Note that, even if his arrangements don’t have it noted, I do have copyrights registered for all the songs.)

There are other developments, but it’s too soon to share them just yet. Stay tuned.

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concert video

Video: “The Seed”

The other video I want to share from this year’s Pennsic concert is “The Seed”. This is the only video I have performing this piece. Enjoy.

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concert Pennsic

Video: Tam Lin of the Elves (with Heather Dale)

The video from this year’s Pennsic concert had some issues. The camera ran out of storage, so we only recorded a few songs, and the angle doesn’t pick up part of the stage. Nevertheless, I can share some of the experience of getting to perform “Tam Lin of the Elves” with Heather, which was a highlight for me: